Ninja Taboo
by NeverLookBackSamurai
Summary: The worst decision a ninja or kunoichi could make was to love an S Class criminal. It had been forbidden long ago. Now, it is considered the strongest ninja taboo there is... DeidaraOC SasoriOC KakashiOC GenmaOC
1. Kunoichi

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any characters therewith. I only own Katsuki.

**Dedicated to AzNcHiBi, who helped me write this via email. Her character is named Riku and I am using it with her permission.** Also, the name "Sashimi-sensei" came out of a joke between AzNcHiBi and I.

* * *

"Come on Katsuki! Try it again!" Two young 20-year-old jounin stood in the middle of a clearing, working on their jutsus. One was a tall, slender brunette, dressed in an icy green camisole with a matching miniskirt and black shorts; the other had the same build, only she was clad in pastel teal and had a similar styled outfit to Sakura.

"Sashimi-sensei, I don't see how it matters. I've been trying to do this for weeks, and I can't get it!" the brunette said.

"Katsuki, you know you may call me Riku. We're of the same rank and nearly the same age," said the raven-haired girl.

"Still, I can't forget you were once my sensei…You still are, Sashimi-sensei," Katsuki said. Riku chuckled briefly, before regaining her serious composure.

"Now, your jutsu?" she said. Katsuki took a deep breath, put her hands together in a sign, and shouted, "Shadow clone jutsu!"

POOF! Ten solid flesh-and-blood clones appeared beside Katsuki.

"Heh… How was that sen… Riku?" she said, panting.

"Good, not bad… Hmm… let's see…" Slowly, Riku made her way to each of the clones in turn, inspecting them carefully.

"_Oh, no… She's gonna take forever…"_ Katsuki thought. Straightening the hitai-ate around her forhead, she sat down in the shade of a tree and took out her iPod. The brunette began to hum softly before a tall, silver-haired man appeared from the bushes, humming the same song while reading an orange-covered book that apparently bore the title Come Come Paradise.

"…_! I-It's Kakashi Hatake! Oh, no! I'm so flustered from practice! Do I look okay?!" _Poor Katsuki's face was turning bright red as the copy-ninja walked toward her.

"Hey, there, Katsuki-hime. How are you?" he asked her, closing his book and stowing it in his hip pouch.

"Uh… um… I'm f-fine, Kakashi-san… J-just training with my sensei. I-I mean, Riku-san… You know… Jonin stuff…" Katsuki avoided his teasing gaze as he sat down beside her. She moved over so he could be comfortable, but the space between them made it obvious she was shy.

"What's wrong? Surely you're not afraid of me, Katsuki-hime?" Kakashi asked, taking her hand in his. Katsuki stiffened and the blush on her cheeks became more prominent.

"N-No, Kakashi-san. I'm n-not afraid of y-you…"

"Oh, really…? Then you won't mind if I do this?"

"Do what, Kak-?"

"HEY! YOU CLOSET PERVERT! STOP KISSING MY STUDENT!" Riku shouted, whacking Kakashi over the head.

"Ah… still hurts, same as ever, Riku-san…" Kakashi said, rubbing his head and pulling his mask back over his mouth and nose. Katsuki sat dazed, her lips parted slightly. Riku's face was red with anger as she pointed back toward Konoha. The copy-ninja sighed and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Riku knelt down beside Katsuki and snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Hellooo? Earth to Katsuki? You there?"

"He… Kakashi… did he just-?"

"Yeah, he kissed you. Now get over it, he's just one guy in a long string of guys," Riku said, pulling her disciple up. "Let's call it a day and get some dango, neh?"

"Uh… yeah, okay, Riku…"

* * *

A/N: This is my first shot at pairings between Akatsuki and OC's. If anyone can give me info about the Akatsuki members' personalities/traits, I'd be very grateful. Thanks!


	2. Akatsuki

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any characters therewith. Neither do I own Riku, who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

* * *

**Beware: Randomness will abound here due to AzNcHiBi's doing. **

* * *

As the two jonin approached a dango stand in Konoha, a tall young man with a bandana covering his dark brown hair, and a toothpick sticking out of his mouth, walked up behind Riku and put his hands over her eyes.

"…Let me guess…" she said, sighing. "Genma?"

"Right again, Riku," he said, laughing and hugging her. "Can't I ever fool you for once?"

Riku rolled her eyes at Katsuki, who was blushing with embarrassment at being with the embracing couple.

"Ahem. Can we just get some dango so I can go home?" The brunette asked.

"Complaining, Katsuki-hime? That's not like you…" came a deep, seductive voice. Said young woman whirled around to find herself in Kakashi's arms. He smiled and brushed back the long bangs that fell over her headband.

"Hey, Kakashi-san. I've got an idea. These fine young ladies were just about to get some dango. How about we treat them?" Genma asked, releasing Riku and holding her hand instead.

"Great idea," the copy-ninja replied. Just as the four were about to enter the dango shop, a huge explosion was set off on the next block over.

"What was that?!" Katsuki asked, tugging on her black half-gloves. The group began to run through the streets, passing panicked people.

"What's going on?" Genma asked a purple-haired woman with a khaki trench coat.

"S-class criminals. Akatsuki," came Anko's curt reply. Out of a huge cloud of smoke came an enormous white clay bird. On its back was a blonde figure clad in red and black. He wore a look of absolute maniacal delight on his face.

"Deidara from Iwagakure," Katsuki said, instantly recognizing his image from her bingo book. Two other figures emerged from the dust: an average-height young man with black hair and red eyes, and a large, hunched-over man who seemed to be crawling rather than walking. Both of them were dressed in the same black cloak with red clouds.

"Uchiha Itachi…" came Riku's stunned observation.

"…And Akasuna no Sasori, from the looks of it," Kakashi said, lifting his hitai-ate so he could see with his Sharingan eye. About forty ANBU appeared from nowhere to help combat the three Akatsuki members, although many knew this fight would most likely be their last. Readying their weapons, all shinobi present ran at the intruders, hoping to maim, if not kill, the adversaries. Just as the Black Ops reached Itachi, they froze inexplicably, before their bodies were slashed into mincemeat by another man-like creature not unlike the slouching figure beside Itachi. Insane laughter was heard above as the Iwa ninja threw small, white statuettes to the earth; some as birds, some as spiders. Either figurine would explode on contact, instantly killing whomever they touched.

"Katsuki! Now would be a good time…" Riku shouted, biting her thumb as her other hand whipped out a scroll. Katsuki nodded and leaped up.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" the raven-haired woman shouted, bounding onto her white hawk familiar.

"Hakurei, get us up there!" Riku shouted to the bird, grabbing hold of Katsuki as she landed on the familiar's back. The blonde Iwa ninja leaped off his clay bird onto a large rooftop. He sent it down to his comrades just as Riku and Katsuki leaped at him, throwing shuriken and kunai alike. These, he countered with his own projectiles, before eyeing the girls with a smirk.

"You two are very pretty, yeah… Maybe it would be a bad thing for me to kill you. My friends and I could have some use for you…" Deidara said, speaking for the first time.

"We will NOT be your slaves! So keep your mouth shut, you sonofa-"

"Katsuki. Not now," Riku said calmly. Suddenly, the two women leaped apart as an ANBU attacked them.

"Katsuki! That's no ANBU! That's a-"

"Understood," the woman said, already whipping out a kunai and throwing it at the hunch-backed figure who stood beside Itachi on Deidara's clay bird. Both darted out of the way before backing Riku into a corner.

"Sensei!" Katsuki shouted, but she was blocked by Deidara, who gave her a smirk before showing her his palms. She looked at them and saw two spiders ready to launch themselves at her. Just as they began to spring, a blast of a strong-smelling green substance hit Deidara, knocking him to the ground.

"She… She didn't…" the young jonin thought, her eyes starting to water from the smell. The brunette looked cautiously over at her sensei and saw the raven-haired woman was holding an enormous garden hose.

"HA, HA! TAKE THAT AKATSUKI BOYS!" Riku shouted, whipping out another hose and spraying Itachi and Sasori with a liquid brown substance.

"Sah… Sashimi-sensei…. You didn't just use…?"

"YEP! BWAHAHAHA! FEAR MY 'DEATH BY WASABI AND SHOYU' ATTACK!" the random teacher shouted, spraying the two condiments all over the rooftop.

"At this rate, neither the Akatsuki nor us will be able to fight each other…" Katsuki thought, dashing toward the nearest target: Deidara. His eyes were watering badly and he seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"Perfect. Couldn't have been better-"

POOF! The clone went up in a puff of smoke, leaving a dazed kunoichi still hurling herself toward the edge of the roof. She tried to stop, but her shoes skidded on the slippery shoyu. Four feet… then two… finally…

"KATSUKI!!!" In her attempt to break past Itachi and Sasori and leap after her disciple, the latter punched Riku in the stomach, knocking her unconscious immediately.

"Deidara… Do you have the other girl?" came a deep, resonating voice from the stooped man. From over the side of the building came another clay bird, bearing both Deidara and the unconscious figure of Katsuki in his arms.

"Sure, Sasori-danna, yeah," he said, smirking.

"Let's go back. Leader's waiting," Itachi said, turning on his heel and elegantly stepping onto the waiting bird. Once Sasori joined them, Deidara turned the bird and headed to the southern border of Konoha.

* * *

On the ground:

* * *

Kakashi and Genma had seen their girlfriends fight on the rooftop above them while they and the other ANBU dealt with Sasori's puppets on the ground. Now, they watched, locked in combat, as the very people they had ultimately vowed to protect them from took the two young women away.

"Kakashi!" Genma shouted, parrying an attack from a dead puppet ANBU.

"I know…" the copy-ninja replied, gritting his teeth. "I know…"

"We have to get them back before its too l-" Suddenly, all puppets stopped attacking and dropped where they stood. An ominous silence settled over the defenders of Konohagakure as they surveyed the amount of damage and casualties.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kakashi and Genma whirled around to see Ibiki there with Kurenai. Obviously the Yuuhi had run a long distance just to find the Jonin commander.

"Kakashi, Genma. I'm giving you an assignment to bring those girls back. They have great knowledge that, if left in the wrong hands, could spell the end of Konohagakure. If you so happen to take out an Akatsuki or two…"

"You didn't have to tell us," Genma said, already running toward his home to pack a few things.

"We would have gone after them anyway." Kakashi looked at Ibiki calmly before bowing deeply and following the Shiranui.

"Hmph. Something's got them riled…" Anko said, smirking as she wiped off a few blood drops from her face.

"If you don't know... You don't deserve to be a chuunin exam proctor," Asuma said gravely, walking up behind Kurenai. Solemnly, the group then began to find medical help for the wounded and others.


	3. Escape

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

* * *

"Katsuki… Wake up…" A voice broke into the brunette's unconscious mind.

"…Uh…?" Suddenly, Katsuki jerked her head up as she felt her arms constricted by chakra chains. She strained at her confines, but to no avail.

"Don't bother. Those damn Akatsuki know their stuff, I'll give them that," came Riku's sarcastic voice.

"Last thing I remember, I got punched by that girly blonde…" Katsuki muttered, her sapphire eyes flashing platinum blue. Through the gloom, she could see her sensei's silhouette some odd feet to her right.

"Mm-" Abruptly, a door was thrown open in front of the two women, revealing a tall, dark shape with spiky hair walking toward them. Katsuki's heart jumped into her mouth as the anonymous individual knelt in front of her.

"Well, well… Deidara, Sasori, you made a nice catch. Two of the most skilled kunoichi in our bingo book," said the man, taking Katsuki's face between his palms and looking carefully at her. "Fujiwara no Katsuki and Kiyotake no Riku… Very nice." The first young woman mentioned spat out a very unladylike response, making the enigmatic man laugh.

"She put up a good fight, yeah," Deidara said from behind the man. Sasori's puppet nodded slowly in agreement beside him.

"Maybe we should just take care of their memories now, Leader-sama?" Riku shuddered as she looked at Sasori's hunch-backed figure. The spiky-haired man shook his head.

"We'll give them a few days to see if they'll willingly help us…" he said, releasing Katsuki and turning to Riku. Once his back was turned, Katsuki made a few hand symbols from where her hands were chained. Suddenly, an exact flesh-and-blood doppelganger appeared behind the Akatsuki's so called 'Leader'. The double held a kunai to his neck and said quietly,

"Release us. Now. Otherwise you'll die right here." The Leader merely chuckled and the real Katsuki was stunned as he suddenly disappeared, only to reappear in front of her, his hand pressing a blade to her neck.

"I see we'll have to be more careful with these two than we thought. They're definitely more… willful than most of our captives…" The Katsuki-copy went poof into nothingness as Leader withdrew the kunai and focused once more on Riku.

"You know of those called _jinchuuriki_, correct?" the man's voice echoed in the dark confines of the dungeon.

"Depends on who wants to know," came Riku's sharp, sly reply. Deidara stepped forward and backhanded Riku hard across the face, leaving a deep scratch from the ring he wore.

"Our Leader asked you a question. You are obliged to answer, yeah," he said, menacingly.

"LEAVE. HER. ALONE." Deidara looked at Katsuki for a long time, and she glared right back at him, defiance in her eyes. Leader chuckled at the young women's spirits.

"Her spirit will not be so willful soon enough, Deidara," he said, his head inclined toward Katsuki. "Then you can do what I've asked of you…" The Iwa ninja nodded, smirking slightly.

Leader turned back to the two women and said, "Two days." He snapped his fingers as if to eliminate the women's memories in that instant. He then turned on his heel and went out the door.

"Bastard…" Katsuki whispered. "Riku, are you okay?" The other woman nodded, licking away a blood droplet that had found its way to her mouth.

"We've got two days until we're in hot water," she said, shifting around so she could stand up from a kneeling position. "So, why don't we try and have a bit of fun and piss those damn Akatsuki off?" Katsuki smiled as she stood and turned around as best she could, making more hand symbols. Both women's blue energy chains suddenly faded to a dull gray before they disappeared altogether.

"Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's get going before that he-she and ogre come back." Riku nodded, drew back her fist and punched the solid-stone wall. In a split second, it wasn't stone anymore, rather more a pile of dust. The two women darted out through the opening and began to run as fast as they could through the surrounding forest.

"_It can't be this easy to just run away from the Akatsuki hideout_," Riku thought, warily looking out for a trap or anything suspicious. Katsuki thought the same thing too as she trailed after her former-sensei. Suddenly, both women froze as something small and white fell through the thick canopy, bouncing off a tree limb in a puff of smoke before it headed straight for Katsuki.

"The hell-?!" She had only a split second to dodge it before the thing detonated. Katsuki flipped backward in the air, landing about thirty yards away from Riku, who was backing up against the tree trunk, trying to make herself as small as possible. Both women knew who had thrown the object and began as one to leap through the trees as quickly as possible. Suddenly, Katsuki felt herself run into something hard. She heard Riku grunt as she hit something similar.

"_A…barrier? No please! It can't… be…_" As the two jonin fell through the trees, miraculously missing any limbs that could potentially break them in two, they saw two shadows coming down after them.

"_Shit! We're paralyzed! And those damn Akatsuki are after us again_," Riku thought as she watched her student falling along beside her. Just before they hit the ground, the two pursuers caught them. Katsuki and Riku looked up in disgust at who they were: Deidara and Sasori. Again.

"Heh. It's better if you just be good little girls, yeah," Deidara said, slinging Katsuki over his shoulder as Sasori carried Riku. Had they been able to even speak, the women would have shouted a long string of cuss words in frustration at the two criminals.

"Deidara, aren't you forgetting that potion?" Sasori's gruff voice came from the puppet. The Iwa ninja stopped as he remembered and threw Katsuki to the ground. Riku saw the blonde take out a syringe and a small vial of a translucent blue fluid. Katsuki made a small noise in her throat and her eyes were wide as Deidara knelt beside her and took her arm. He looked at her with an insane smile on his face.

"Now, will you be a good little girl or will I have to use this?" he asked. Riku gritted her teeth. She knew Katsuki had a phobia of needles of any kind, and if this guy used a syringe on her, or threatened to, her student would probably break. Suddenly, she heard a slight weeping and closed her eyes in defeat.

"Please… Please don't… I'll cooperate… I promise. Just don't use… that…" Katsuki whimpered, trying in vain to shy away from the syringe. Deidara's smile grew wider, but also a little sympathetic, as far as Riku could see. He patted her on the head but made no attempt to console the young woman. Then the Iwa ninja stood and came over to Riku who looked at him with contempt.

"Do what you want, you bastard. The outcome will be the same apparently," she said, her voice becoming more menacing by the second.

"Fine then, yeah," Deidara replied, putting the needle into Riku's arm. She bit down on her lip as he tried to find a vein. When he finally removed the needle, the potion was already working.

"_Damn. That serum was… actually a… sleeping potion…_" Katsuki's tears burst afresh as she saw her sensei fall into a drugged sleep, but they were quickly stopped as she felt someone hit her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious.

"You shouldn't be so considerate Deidara. Next time, just pin her down and-"

"I'll do what I want, yeah. As long as I'm obeying Leader-sama, what does it matter?" the blonde spat out at his partner. The two men turned back toward the hideout and began to walk.

* * *

A/N: Please forgive my dishonorable writing and lack of ideas. I am trying to move the story along faster so the good parts will come sooner.


	4. Erased

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

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The Akatsuki leader sat behind the desk in a dark chamber, his ruby eyes surveying the individuals before him. Deidara and Sasori, now out of his puppet, were each standing behind the kunoichi they'd captured two days earlier.

"One more time. Your names are-?"

"Fujiwara no Katsuki, Leader-sama."

"Kiyotake no Riku, sir." Both women's eyes were slightly glazed over, due to the fact that their memories had just been newly erased.

"Good." Leader nodded his head, evidently pleased. "Whom do you work for? Where do your loyalties lie?"

"To the Akatsuki alone and all its members. No other," came Riku's now robotic voice. Leader closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.

"Deidara, Sasori. We still haven't been able to break through the seal that binds their jutsu-specialties. Because of that, I want you to keep these two under watch at all times," Leader said, turning his attention to a small stack of papers beside him.

"Understood, Leader." Said Akatsuki bowed and steered the two girls toward the door.

"Oh, and one other thing…" Deidara and Sasori stopped and looked back at Leader.

"Make sure you talk to them to try and break that damn seal."

* * *

**Elsewhere:**

* * *

Kakashi and Genma were leaping through the trees at an incredible pace. Both were physically and mentally exhausted, yet they were reluctant to stop. In their minds they knew every second could be precious to their girlfriends' lives.

"Kakashi, we should take a rest. We don't even know where their hideout is!" Genma shouted, panting heavily.

"I don't care! The sooner we find their hideout, the sooner we…" Kakashi suddenly stopped and stood on a tree limb, panting hard. Genma joined him a few seconds later. The chuunin exam officer gently placed a hand on the copy-ninja's shoulder.

"Think about it: what if we were to come across an Akatsuki now? In our exhausted state, we'd never even last a minute… We still need to rescue them…"

"…You're right, Genma. Let's rest for a little bit." Kakashi pulled away from Genma's grasp, not wanting him to see the tears forming in his eyes. Genma sighed and slipped his knapsack off his shoulders as he sat down beside the copy-ninja.

* * *

**At the Akatsuki hideout:**

* * *

The kunoichi were roughly shoved into another dark chamber that served as Sasori and Deidara's room.

"You two will sleep there," Deidara said, pointing at a pile of blankets beside Sasori's work desk as he himself sat down on his own bed.

"And if you so much as think about touching my puppets…" Sasori's hazel eyes narrowed viciously as he sat down to work. For a while, there was silence; the men tinkered with their respective works of art, the women just standing there.

"Master Deidara, is there anything you need at the moment?" Katsuki asked, her voice now back to normal, but still a little timid. Deidara's azure eyes widened somewhat at the formality, and he then became the goofy person Sasori wished didn't exist.

"No, not now, yeah. Hey, have you ever made something out of clay?" Deidara looked expectantly at Katsuki as his hands were busy sculpting a small bird, but Sasori only shook his head.

"Leader _erased her memory_, remember?" Sasori growled, carefully smoothing out a nick that Hiruko had somehow gotten. Deidara ignored him.

"Hmph. Katsuki-chan, come here," the clay master said, motioning to her. When she sat down on the bed beside him, he smiled and took her hand.

"I want you to make something. Just anything. Understand, yeah?" Katsuki looked up at him, a slight apprehensive look in her eyes as her mind struggled to grasp an erased memory; one that screamed at her that she shouldn't be holding Deidara's clay in her hand. She looked at the ball of clay, at Deidara, then back at the ball. The Iwa ninja laughed.

"Don't worry. I won't make this batch explode, yeah," he said. Katsuki smiled nervously at him, then she began to mold a small figure between her nimble fingers. Sasori, for his part, completely ignored Deidara and his new "toy" of sorts. Instead, he turned to Riku, who stood still, waiting for someone to give her an order.

"…Riku, come here." The girl nodded and knelt beside the desk, her head down.

"What is it you wish, Master Sasori?" she asked softly.

_"Hmm… This isn't the brave, random woman I fought a few days ago… And Leader-sama said we had to talk to them…"_ Sasori thought, a small frown creasing the corners of his mouth. He sighed inwardly. "Do you know anything about puppets and how to control them?"


	5. Feelings

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

* * *

"We'll be back later tonight. Stay in our room until then. Understand, yeah?" Katsuki nodded as Riku mumbled an "Okay" while carefully sanding a piece of wood that Sasori would use for another puppet. As the redhead donned his beloved Hiruko, Deidara gave Katsuki a quick embrace.

"…Wh-What was that for, Master Deidara…?" she asked him as he pressed a small bag of non-explosive clay into her hands.

"For being such a good girl, yeah. Make something nice while I'm gone. And keep out of trouble. Itachi-san should come in to check on you sometime while we're gone." Deidara gave the brunette a wide smile that she returned with her own, albeit a little timidly.

"Riku, don't sand too much. And don't touch any of those carving tools except for what I told you you could," came Sasori's gruff Hiruko-voice. Both women turned to the men and gave them a small bow.

"We will be awaiting your return," Riku murmured, giving Sasori a small smile. The Suna ninja saw her smile at him from within Hiruko and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"_…She's a captive…Of the Akatsuki no less. Even though her memory is erased… Why does she still smile at me…?_" Sasori decided to ignore it for the time being. As the two men turned toward the sliding rock that served as a door, they couldn't help but feel some _liking_ for the women. But it couldn't be; that was forbidden… Wasn't it?

* * *

**Some hours later:**

* * *

"Itachi… Are you checking up on the two captives?" A tall green, Venus flytrap walked up behind the Uchiha as he softly glided over the wooden floor of the stone hallway.

"…Zetsu… shouldn't you be on a mission?" the Sharingan-eyed man asked quietly.

"Leader sent Kakuzu and Hidan to do it instead." The Venus flytrap opened to reveal a pair of gleaming yellow eyes set into a skull that was pale white on one side and jet black on the other. Itachi didn't reply, but stopped in front of a lightly etched portion of the wall. He brushed it with the tips of his fingers and it slid open, revealing Katsuki and Riku working and talking quietly. The kunoichi looked up as the newcomers stepped into the room.

"I'm sorry, Masters Deidara and Sasori are out at the moment…" Katsuki began, bowing to the two Akatsuki. Zetsu chuckled as he looked the brunette up and down.

"…She looks good enough to eat. Maybe I'd be doing Deidara and Sasori a favor…?" Zetsu started toward a now wide-eyed Katsuki, but Itachi flung out an arm halting the flytrap's advance.

"…Remember what Leader told us. They could possibly hold the key to capturing the remaining jinchuuriki," he said in a voice that made Riku shudder inwardly. Zetsu looked disappointed as he moved back toward the door. Itachi, meanwhile, looked over Riku's shoulder to the piece of wood that now faintly resembled a woman's arm. For a fleeting second, he was tempted to pick it up and run his fingers over it; it looked that smooth. But he knew better. Riku's eyes widened as the Uchiha bent down to her eye level. She closed her eyes in fear, but he merely whispered in her ear,

"You are very lucky that Sasori allows you to assist him." He drew back and turned to Katsuki, who had taken the time to back up against the wall on Deidara's bed, trying to get as far away from the Uchiha and make herself as small as possible at the same time. Had he been the innocent Itachi of long ago, he would have smiled at the woman's futile attempt to sculpt a bird; the many various lumps of clay scattered on the bed proved that.

"I've never seen Deidara let another person use his clay. Have you, Itachi-san?" the right half of Zetsu asked from where he stood. Itachi made no response, but turned around and walked toward the door.

"Going already?" the left half grinned carnivorously at Katsuki, who had her eyes shut tight. The stone slab slid open as the Uchiha touched it, and slid shut again after Zetsu reluctantly followed him out. As soon as the two men were gone, the kunoichi were able to breathe again.

"Why do I get the feeling, that guy was going to eat me Riku?" Katsuki asked, her hands trembling as she gently pinched and prodded the ball of clay in her hands. The raven-haired woman wiped a bead of sweat out of her slate-colored eyes before she replied, her voice shaking,

"He looked it. I had an impulse to get up and…" Riku trailed off as she was thwarted in her attempt to grasp the memory of her condiment fight with Deidara.

"… You get it too, don't you?"

"Get what?" Riku asked impatiently, almost nicking her index finger on one of Sasori's carving blades.

"…Those… memory blanks… I'll just draw a blank when I'm trying to remember something. Sometimes, I'll almost remember something, but then an image of Master Deidara comes into my head and I forget…" Katsuki slowly gathered up the soft, still malleable pieces of clay strewn across the bed and rolled them all into a ball as big as her fist. She gently placed it back in the bag Deidara had given her when the door slid open again, this time revealing a tall, blue man with unruly navy-blue hair and what looked like gills across his cheekbones. An enormous sword rested against his back, apparently sheathed and wrapped in clean white bandages.

"M-May we help y-you?" Katsuki asked as the blue man surveyed the room with his tiny eyes. As his gaze fell on Riku, Katsuki saw her shudder and a highly awkward silence erupted.

"My name's Kisame. What's yours, pretty girl…?" the fish man asked Riku, standing a disturbingly close distance to said young woman.

"R-Riku… Wh-What do you w-want?" Riku asked as she moved back toward the wall opposite Sasori's workbench.

"Oh, nothing. Just a little bit of fun…" Katsuki saw the ogre of a man making Riku uncomfortable and she went to stand by the door.

"N-No…" Riku said, trying in vain to push Kisame's heavy body away from her.

"Aww, come on. It won't hurt…"

"N-No... No. NO! NO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Suddenly, Riku was screaming at the top of her lungs and Katsuki was pounding on the door, crying for help.

"HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP US! MASTER ITACHI! MASTER ZETSU! ANYONE! HELP U-" Suddenly the stone slab slid open, revealing a long sweep of blonde hair and an icy blue eye peering down at the brunette in concern. Deidara looked up at Kisame quickly and his eye went wide.

"GET OFF OF RIKU, YOU BLUE PERVERT, YEAH!" Deidara yelled at him, rushing to grapple with the fish man. Sasori entered the room after the blonde in Hiruko. It took a split second for him to register what Kisame was trying to do to Riku, his charge, assistant, admirer-

"Master Sasori! Please help Riku!" Katsuki shouted, prostrating herself on the floor before him. Suddenly, the redhead threw off the puppet and growled in a low tone,

"Let her go, Kisame." The blue man turned around. His small eyes had a sly look in them when he replied,

"Ooh, getting _touchy_,eh, Sasori? Fond of your new doll already?" Nonetheless, he released Riku, who ran to Katsuki's side. Sasori felt an unwanted stab of annoyance at the fact she went to her friend rather than him.

"Get. Out." Still sneering, Kisame backed out the doorway and let the stone slide back into place.

"Are you alright, Riku-san?" Deidara asked the raven-haired woman. She nodded, sniffling in Katsuki's arms.

"Did he… do anything to you?" came Sasori's slow inquiry. Riku shook her head, looking at the redhead with tears in her eyes. Out of the blue, she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder. Sasori felt a sudden impulse to return her embrace, whisper sweet nothings in her ear, maybe even kiss her…

"Master Sasori…? Are you all right?" The redhead was startled out of his fantasizing by Riku's shaky concerned voice. He looked at Deidara and Katsuki who were sitting on the blonde's bed, hugging and talking quietly. Then, the redhead looked down at the raven-haired girl and nodded.

"It's late, danna, yeah. Why don't we go to sleep now?" Deidara asked, his arms around Katsuki's waist. Sasori merely nodded and Riku drew away, muttering an apology. This the redhead waved off as he gently placed Hiruko on his workbench, inspecting the puppet for scratches.

"You go ahead and sleep. Hiruko needs some repair work," the Suna ninja muttered, hanging up his cloak in the closet. He noticed Riku's flushed face as he sat back at his workbench, for he had no shirt on and now exposed only his wooden body. Within minutes, he heard Deidara's snoring. Turning around, he saw that Katsuki was curled up beside the blond under the comforter. Sasori's eyes narrowed down to slits in irritation; his partner was taking this "looking-after-a-captive" mission too far and becoming attached to the girl. Sasori nearly gave a start as he felt… _something_ hesitantly touch his wooden limbs. Well, rather felt the _weight_ of something, seeing as his body was wooden and he had no senses whatsoever.

"…Why is your body made of wood, Master Sasori…?" came Riku's soft voice from behind the redhead's ear. Sasori wasn't sure, but something about her voice, her close proximity to him, didn't allow him to move his arms to grab a kunai and kill the woman. Nobody dared touch the Suna man, nor his puppets. Yet Riku was a first.

"… I changed it…" came his reluctant reply. The raven-haired woman breathed a soft "Oh," before her fingers began to lightly trace Sasori's human-like body.

"_She's so much like a child now…_" The redhead grew annoyed with her, yet he also found something satisfying about the woman's curiosity; the way she touched his shoulder, then drew her fingers down to his palm…

"M-Master Sasori???" The puppet master didn't realize it, but he'd turned around in his seat and grabbed Riku in a fierce embrace. The woman's eyes held fear and confusion, and her arms were now pinned to her sides by his solid ones. His red eyes connected with her brown ones briefly, before he lowered his face to hers and gave her a bruising kiss. At first the kunoichi didn't respond, too shocked to do anything. Finally, she just let Sasori kiss her.

"_Why am I doing this?_" the Suna ninja asked himself.

"**Because you **_**like**_** her.**"Sasori tried to ignore his inner self, but knew what it had said was right.

"_Why is Master Sasori doing this?_" Riku asked herself. Abruptly, an image of a male brunette with a Konohagakure headband appeared in her head. He had a senbon in his mouth and he smiled at her.

_"Hey, there. I'm Shiranui Genma. What's your name?" _

_"Kiyotake Riku. Are you also a Jonin here?"_

_"Mmhmm. I just became one five months ago." He smiled at her and Riku had smiled back. _

"Gen…ma…" Sasori looked questioningly at the woman as she pulled away, her eyes closed and her pink lips parted slightly. He'd thought he heard her say 'Genma'… As Riku's eyes opened again, she saw the redhead's hand moving toward her neck.

"You should go to sleep. You had a trying day." With that said, Sasori pinched the pressure point at the base of her neck, making the raven-haired woman slump down in his arms. For a fleeting second, Sasori hesitated as he picked her up and laid her on his futon.

"_It was just a fluke. Nothing more,_" he thought as he turned back to Hiruko.

_Nothing more…_


	6. Search

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi.

* * *

"_A month… It's been a month since she was taken from me; since I last held her in my arms…spoke to her…heard her sweet voice…_" Kakashi woke with a start, panting heavily and covered in a cold sweat. He and Genma had been searching for Katsuki and Riku for a month. But to the two jounin, it had seemed like forever.

"… You can't sleep either, can you Kakashi?" The copy-nin's mismatched eyes pierced through the darkness of their hotel room to where Genma lay, his brown hair splayed out on the pillow, eyes closed and brows creased together in frustration. Kakashi shook his head and flipped the light switch next to his bed, bathing the darkened room in bright light.

"We've had a hard time even figuring out where their hideout is in general," he muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "But we do know it's somewhere near here. I wonder why these people haven't fled if they know criminals are nearby…?"

Genma opened his eyes and pulled a length of fabric from his pants pocket. It was a long white ribbon with a design of a dog, embroidered in gold thread. The dog had five tails and each tail was tipped with a different color. He caught Kakashi's gaze looking inquisitively at him, and the brown-haired man sighed as he draped the ribbon over his eyes and mouth.

"Houkou, the five-tailed dog. Don't ask me why, but Riku said she had thought it was pretty and her mother bought it for her. She was only four at the time, and she would wear it everywhere, even to the Academy." The ribbon shifted and showed Genma's eyes as he turned his head to look at Kakashi. "Don't you think it's about time we used… him?"

The copy-nin said nothing as he got up and opened the blinds of the window in their room. The sky was already turning orange, promising a sunny day. Kakashi felt a wave of anger at the weather; it seemed to be making fun of his seemingly fruitless efforts to find Katsuki. He turned back to his bed and rummaged through his pack on the floor. From it, he withdrew a scroll and a navy-blue head bandana: the one Katsuki wore on weekends and when she wasn't on duty. Kakashi lightly traced the embroidered moon on it, wondering when he'd finally get the chance to tell Katsuki how beautiful she looked wearing it. Genma sat up in interest, holding Riku's ribbon in his hand, as the other jounin pricked his thumb with a kunai and dragged it swiftly across the scroll, making hand signs. A puff of smoke and a few seconds later, there he sat. A sardonic little pug with Kakashi's sign on his cape; the Konoha leaf mark headband wrapped around his head. He looked up at the jounin with his sleepy eyes and said,

"Kakashi, Genma. Long time no see." The two men wasted no time in putting the two items of clothing under the dog's nose. The dog sniffed at each and nodded.

"Some hello… What's wrong with you two? Last time I saw you like this, you were in ANBU, Kakashi…" The copy-nin's eyes went hard as flint then, making the dog scratch his ear uncomfortably.

"Pakkun," he said, quietly, "Can you smell them?" Pakkun sniffed the air before leaping up onto the dresser beneath the window.

"Yep. They're nearby. The scent is strong… Wait. I smell something else…" the pug's sniffing became more pronounced. Finally, he stopped and faced the jounin.

"Be on your guard. There are two men outside the door. And they mean business." Kakashi and Genma threw on their vests and whipped out their weapons as the door burst open.

"So sorry. You won't be rescuing your precious little girlfriends," said a masked man.

"They belong to us now," the second man said, his silver hair slicked down as he unshouldered a three-pronged scythe. Kakashi and Genma cursed under their breath as they grabbed their packs and broke through the window, following Pakkun. The two men leaped out the window, following the Konoha nins.

"_Great. Two Akatsuki on our tail, trying to kill us. How could this get any worse?_" Suddenly, their pursuers vanished. Kakashi and Genma stopped in a clearing in the forest surrounding the village they'd stayed in. Pakkun wandered in a circle around the jounin, who were back to back, both holding weapons.

"You smell them, Pakkun?" Kakashi said, his eyes scanning the foliage around them.

"Nope. They've gone. To where, I have no ide-" Abruptly, Pakkun just fell over in his pacing, unable to talk or move in the least. Kakashi and Genma rushed over, only to see the pug disappear in a puff of smoke. They slowly looked at each other, eyebrows quirked in question. As one, they hurled the kunai they held at a tree some thirty-odd yards in front of them. They never even made it that far. Something invisible made the kunai immobile for a split second, before they fell to the ground, as if they were merely dropped there by accident. Genma chuckled and carefully picked up the kunai.

"Is that the best they can do?" he murmured, watching Kakashi, his Sharingan eye uncovered. The silver-haired man made a few hand symbols then threw another kunai at the same tree. This time, it struck the bark. Genma saw a smile start under the copy-nin's mask as he retrieved his knife. Tugging his headband back into place, he said to Genma,

"Let's go."


	7. Discovery

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

* * *

_**This chapter may seem suggestive at parts, but believe me, I do NOT write like that and nothing really major happens.**_

* * *

The first thing Katsuki saw when she opened her eyes was Deidara looking at her with a tender expression on his face. For a whole minute she merely stared back at him as her mind and body readjusted to her surroundings. Finally, she realized where she was and her face turned bright red as she tried to shy away from Deidara.

"Oh! …I'm so s-sorry, Master Deidara… I-" Her stuttering was ended when Deidara's arms whipped out and dragged her back towards him.

"Where do you think you're going, yeah?" he asked her with a slightly sleepy voice. The blonde sat up, hugging the startled brunette to his chest.

"Come with me," he whispered, looking over to Riku who was sleeping on Sasori's futon. The redhead himself was nowhere to be seen; probably he went to get some more wood from Leader. Deidara stepped over to the enormous walk-in closet with Katsuki and slid the door open quietly. He shoved the girl in before following her, darkness engulfing them as he quickly shut the door behind him. For the first time, Katsuki was afraid of the blonde, and she grew even more so as he slowly advanced towards her curled-up form in a corner of the closet. She shut her eyes tight, as if awaiting a sharp reprimand, or worse, a physical one.

"Don't be afraid, yeah." The brunette looked up at Deidara questioningly. The Iwa nin smiled, genuinely smiled at the girl before sitting beside her and leaning against the wall, his good eye closed.

"…Katsuki-chan… I want a friend, yeah…" The kunoichi's eyes widened in confusion; why drag her in here just to say that? She relaxed slightly and patiently waited for him to continue.

"… I want… a _girl_ friend… When you're in Akatsuki, we're basically all just guys working for our leader, Rei-dono… There aren't any girls here, yeah. So…" the blonde looked at her with forlorn eyes, "will you be my friend, Katsuki-chan?"

Katsuki thought it over for a second, and seeing Deidara looking so sadly at her made her feel guilty for no reason at all. Had she remembered that the blonde was an S-class criminal, or even if she didn't have feelings already for the Iwa nin, she would have refused.

"Yes, Deidara-kun. I'll be your friend." The blonde smiled at her and abruptly kissed her. Shocked, Katsuki felt herself slip down the wall and fall to the ground beneath Deidara. The kunoichi lay paralyzed as a feeling she'd never felt before washed over her, filling her with a heartache for the blonde that she'd never felt before for anyone. Slowly, she closed her eyes and returned Deidara's kiss, praying he wouldn't be disappointed with her kiss.

* * *

Sasori stopped outside the room exactly fifteen minutes after he left it when he went to get more wood from Rei. He shifted the slabs of oak, yew, and cherry wood he had in his arms so he could brush his fingertips against the door. It opened swiftly, and the redhead turned sideways to get in, nearly dropping two boards on his foot. His gaze fell first on Riku's sleeping form under the comforter of his futon. Something about the way her face looked made the Suna nin freeze in his tracks, even as he screamed at himself to move.

"_Her face… so innocent… so serene… so… beautiful…_"

"Master Sasori?" The redhead blinked as he heard Riku's sleep-laden voice break the silence in the room. His eyes narrowed as she slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She looked at him again, and abruptly leapt up, moving swiftly to take the boards from him and placed them on his worktable.

"P-Please, forgive me, Master Sasori. I-I didn't mean to oversl-" Sasori cut her off by forcing her back to the wall with a kiss that swept the raven-haired woman off her feet.

"_This… this__ feeling… It's really real. She's been here for a month, a __**whole month**__, and only now do I realize… She's haunted my every thought every second of the day…_"

Sasori felt something break free inside him, someplace within the very depths of his still-human heart; a feeling that filled him with a warm sensation he'd never thought he'd feel again. He allowed himself to bring the woman closer to his body, wrapping his arms around her slender form, a single, fleeting look of absolute painful desperation stealing across his face as his eyes closed.

Riku, for her part, had completely and utterly lost any train of thought. The only thing she could consciously focus on was the pressure of Sasori's cold, unfeeling lips on her own, and yet she loved how it felt. If asked how to explain what it felt like, Riku could not have answered. Not _would_ not. Simply _could_ not. The feeling she was currently experiencing while pinned up against a wall and being kissed by an Akatsuki member could only have been matched by…

"Genma…" Sasori's eyes snapped open upon hearing the shinobi's name slip from Riku's lips. A wave of anger and jealousy overcame him as he kissed her again, more forcefully, desperate to make her forget anything and everything about the Leaf nin. Why should that good-for-nothing Konoha nin deserve a woman so perfect such as Riku? Sasori wondered hazily. Riku's hands clutched at the back of his cloak, even as her mind was elsewhere, with Genma, Sasori knew.

Unexpectedly, the redhead heard noises coming from the closet and he broke the kiss, panting despite himself. Riku's face was flushed, but her eyes told everything her mouth did not as she looked at him with a mixture of emotions. Eyes narrowing dangerously, Sasori noticed, with a frown, that both Deidara and Katsuki had disappeared somewhere. That "somewhere" had been the closet, and judging from the way Deidara's chakra was flaring, Sasori was sincerely hoping he hadn't "taken it too far" with the woman. He released Riku, who slid down to the floor, touching her lips, eyes following Sasori, as he crossed the distance between him and the closet. Putting his ear to the door, he heard a small fit of giggling ensue.

"…Deidara… s-stop it… aha-ha! … Deidara-kun I'm gonna get you for this!! Hey, stop!"

"No, yeah… Wait, no…" Both Sasori's and Riku's faces screwed up in disgust; what _were_ they doing in there? They hoped they wouldn't have to find out.

"Finally! I'm free of that stupid thing!"

"Ah? My cloak isn't stupid, Katsuki-chan! Hey! No! Stop it, Katsuki-chan! Stop!"

"I don't think so!"

"Nooooo!! Katsuki-chaaaaaaaaaaaan…"

Finally, Sasori and Riku couldn't take it anymore.

"WHAT _ARE _YOU _DOING_ IN THERE!" Sasori yelled.

The noise of the scuffle suddenly stopped. Katsuki and Deidara stared at the closet door in amazement, as though it was a foreign object that had suddenly appeared in their midst.

"Tickling him," Katsuki called out matter-of-factly. "What did you think? You have a perverted mind, Master Sasori."

* * *

**A/N**: My apologies for such a lengthy wait between chapters. Permit me to give many thanks to everyone who reviewed my story thus far. It gives me great pleasure to know my work is appreciated as well as motivates me to continue writing.


	8. Release

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

* * *

Riku saw Sasori's hands clench at Katsuki's careless remark. But her whole body relaxed as he stepped away from the closet door and back toward her. Holding his hand out to her, he whispered,

"We should go someplace more… quiet." He pulled her up and just as Sasori was about to touch the door, the closet burst open, sending Deidara and Katsuki sprawling to the floor in a tangle of limbs, kissing each other fiercely. Abruptly, Riku felt like she had been slammed into a brick wall and collapsed to the floor at Sasori's feet. The redhead stared at the raven-haired woman as she writhed around, limbs flailing everywhere, her face contorted into a grimace of extreme pain.

_"Hey, there. I'm Shiranui Genma. What's your name?"_

_"Kiyotake Riku. Are you also a Jonin here?"_

_"Mmhmm. __I just became one five months ago…"_

_"Riku-san, how about some ramen after you get back?"_

_"Okay. But I have to report to Tsunade-sama, too."_

_"'Kay. I'll wait for you!"_

_"Hey! Kiyotake-san! I've got something to tell you about Kakashi!"_

_"What is it?"_

_"He's got a __**major**__ crush on your student, Katsuki-san."_

_"Oh __**reeeeally**__…?"_

_"__Sashimi-sensei, I don't see how it matters. I've been trying to do this for weeks, and I can't get it!"_

_"Katsuki, you know you may call me Riku. We're of the same rank and nearly the same age…"_

_"__Still, I can't forget you were once my sensei…You still are, Sashimi-sensei…"_

_"…Riku, come here."_

_"What is it you wish, Master Sasori?"_

_"Do you know anything about puppets and how to control them-"_

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Riku screamed as the Akatsuki's memory bond broke and her memories of Konoha came flooding back. Sasori stepped back, this slight gesture betraying a hint of fear as the woman rose to her feet.

"How could I? How could I…?" she repeated the phrase several times over, before she noticed Sasori standing before her.

"YOU!" Riku lunged at the stunned redhead, only to be stopped as a kunai slashed through the air, skillfully slicing off a few strands of the woman's hair.

"How dare you-?" The raven-haired woman turned on Deidara, who held Katsuki's now limp body in his arms as he stood up.

"Rei-dono warned us this could happen," the blonde murmured to his partner. Sasori nodded and looked at Riku, who was staring daggers at the Iwa nin as he stroked Katsuki's face gently, his blue eye wandering over her smooth facial features. Suddenly, he blurted out,

"Sasori-danna! Make her into a puppet!" He gestured at the brunette's unconscious body in his arms. "I don't want her to leave, yeah!"

"Deidara, shut up," the redhead growled to his partner, still facing Riku, whose face had acquired a murderous look as she stared at the blonde.

"Rei-dono told us that if something like this happened, we'd have to let them go-"

"No, Sasori-danna!" The Rock nin looked desperate now, and tears streamed down his cheeks. "Katsuki and I love each other! _You're in love with Riku! _Why can't they stay here?" Deidara fell to his knees, cradling the brunette girl in his arms.

"They don't… They don't belong here, Deidara." Sasori nearly choked on his own words: He had never had to repeat the same two words in the same sentence. The Suna man took a step towards Riku, who immediately turned to Deidara.

"If you even so much as _think_ about turning my student into a puppet again, I'll kill you," she said menacingly, her face showing no emotion whatsoever. The raven-haired woman swiftly withdrew a kunai from her hip pouch and spun it on her middle finger, catching it so its point was mere inches from the blonde's throat.

"Tell me what happened."

"In the closet?" Deidara looked at her, puzzled, tears still streaming down his face. Riku drew back and sliced the air in front of the Iwa nin's neck, causing a blade of wind to slash through the blonde's pale skin, drawing a drop of blood.

"Ai! I just told her I loved her, yeah! Then I said I'd find a way for her to stay with me forever! I knew… I knew we'd have to let you go eventually…" Riku lowered her arm as Deidara slumped to the floor, his tears bursting afresh, clutching Katsuki's unconscious body to his chest.

"I don't want you to go…" Riku heard Sasori whisper those words as he stood behind her, not touching her, but in such close proximity that she just wanted to fall back into his arms and forget everything that had happened to her. But she shook the thought out of her head when Deidara screamed,

"SASORI-DANNA! MAKE RIKU INTO YOUR OWN PUPPET! I KNOW YOU LOVE HER, YEAH!"

"I… I can't…" the redhead murmured softly more to Riku than to the blonde.

"THEN JUST MAKE KATSUKI INTO A PUPPET FOR M-" Abruptly, Deidara released Katsuki and his eyes became glassy, expressionless. It barely registered in Riku's mind that Sasori had attached some chakra strings to the other man before the redhead grabbed her hand with his free one and whirled her around. The raven-haired woman looked at her rival and lover with something close to despair in her eyes. Time stood still as Sasori's red eyes searched through Riku's earthen ones, his free hand weaving through her long black hair, pulling her closer and closer until finally, he kissed her, passionately, desperately. And Riku gave in to the kiss, wrapping her arms around Sasori's neck as his arms snaked around her waist.

"Take Katsuki and run," he murmured through the kiss. "What Deidara said was true: I do love you, Riku-chan." Riku pulled back, her eyes wet.

"Sasori-" The redhead gently placed two fingertips on her lips as he continued speaking.

"You have no place here. Two-" he braced himself to say it, "-two Konoha nins are already here, nearby, to take you home. I… I only wish I could go with you…" Riku's eyes narrowed dangerously in suspicion, but she said nothing as she lifted Katsuki onto her back piggy-back style. Sasori stepped back to the door as he heard a scuffling outside.

"Go," he whispered. The kunoichi gazed back at the redhead and for a split-second, hesitated.

"Go!" Sasori said, more forcefully. Riku bit her lip and turned to the open window.

"I love you, Sasori," she said. With that, she was gone.

* * *

**A/N: **Firstly, someone has asked me if I have my stories already all planned out or if I write them chapter by chapter. I do both. Especially with this story. AzNcHiBi and I have already typed out the main ideas for this story, but it takes a while to revise it: connecting events to make it flow like a story.

Also -dare I tell you now?- there is a high probability that there will be a sequel to this story. But I can't tell you the title or what it's about yet until the absolute final chapter of this story.

Thanks for reading.


	9. Reunion

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi.

* * *

_Sasori clenched his fist on the wall and closed his eyes. His heart was breaking again, just like it did when he found out his parents were only puppets._

_"Sasori! Open the door!" Hidan cried out. _

_"Those Konoha bastards are here! Rei-dono said it's time!" Kakuzu said, shoving Hidan aside._

_"I know!" the redhead replied from the other side of the door. "I know…"_

Fighting the newly reappeared Hidan and Kakuzu wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do for Kakashi and Genma. Though the Konoha nins were both Jounin, and had taken on countless A-ranked missions, dealing with two fully-fledged Akatsuki members seemed to be more than they could handle. Especially since one was practically immortal, the other merely an undead corpse sewn together.

"Is this the best that Konoha can do?" the masked man called Kakuzu mocked. "If that's the case, the Leaf village will fall miserably if we choose to attack…" Hidan found this tidbit of information too good to pass up.

"It _would _be interesting to see how they _try_ to kill me…" Abruptly, the Akatsuki members halted the assault on the two Jounin, who were panting heavily, various slashes and wounds about their person. Hidan looked sidelong at Kakuzu, feeling the sharp pulsing of their Leader's call resonating within his ribcage. Kakuzu returned the glance, acknowledging, and both glared back at the Konoha nins.

"We'll finish you off later. For now," Hidan laughed mirthlessly, "Enjoy your little reunion." Kakashi and Genma both launched their kunai at the Akatsuki, who disappeared before the weapons met their marks.

"Damn," Kakashi swore under his breath as he applied pressure to a gash in his side. Genma quickly picked up their weapons strewn on the ground.

"…What did they mean by 'enjoy your little reunion'?" he asked as he pulled a roll of bandages out of his pack, handing it to the silver-haired man.

"No idea." Kakashi shifted his hitai-ate to wipe the sweat out of his eyes, before he saw a bright flash amid the foliage in front of them.

"Did you see that?" Genma nodded, bringing a kunai up in the standard defense position. They strained their eyes to see what or who was coming their way, until they heard heavy breathing that sounded like it would belong to a woman carrying a heavy load…

"Riku…" Genma blinked in disbelief as he saw his girlfriend emerge from the greenery, Katsuki's unconscious form on her back.

"Katsuki!" All thoughts for his own wellbeing left his minds as Kakashi rushed forward, helping Riku lift the woman from her back before she collapsed on the grass before Genma. The brunette quickly unscrewed the cap on his canteen and dribbled the cool water over Riku's face, gently wiping the liquid out of her eyes. She moaned softly, murmuring things like, "No cold tea," or, "Yuck, day-old sashimi." She remained lying in the grass, dazed, as Genma checked her vitalities. Kakashi did the same, rocking Katsuki back and forth, feeling her pulse, and trying to get her to wake up.

"Uhn…" The silver-haired Jounin let out the breath he'd been holding. At least she was still alive.

"Katsuki-chan, can you hear me?" He cradled her in his arms, hoping that she would still live despite whatever she'd gone through during the month she was missing. Finally, blue eyes met onyx as Katsuki woke up. She blinked a few times, before a confused and frightened expression crossed over her face.

"You're… not Deidara…" Kakashi's pupils narrowed at the mention of the Akatsuki's name. Katsuki began to squirm in his grasp, trying to get away from the Jounin.

"Leave me alone. You're not Deidara!" The silver-haired man let her go, gently setting her on the grass, looking at her in a desperate way.

"Katsuki-chan… Don't you remember me?" He stretched a hand out to the woman, who shook her head slowly, eyeing the canteen of water beside him.

"Maybe she's delirious due to dehydration. Give her some water, Kakashi," Genma suggested, lifting Riku to a sitting position. Katsuki gulped down the water the Jounin gave her, before looking at him again with a slightly more trusting look. She cocked her head to the side, considering.

"Kakashi…?" She tasted the name on her tongue. For some reason, it sounded and felt familiar…

"Those damn Akatsuki…" Genma gave a start at Riku's angry tone. "Kakashi, they put one of their memory-jutsus on her. She doesn't remember being anywhere but…" She trailed off.

"But where?" Genma asked, his face and voice serious. The raven-haired woman before him frowned.

"… I don't remember." Genma cursed.

"They put one on her too!"

"But if Riku could tell us that much, it must've broken for the most part. She just can't remember the location of the hideout," Kakashi said, trying to entice his former girlfriend closer with a piece of dried fruit. Riku looked at the brunette man beside her, hating the long blank gaps that stretched out in her memories where her boyfriend was concerned.

"_Did Sasori really mean to make me forget Genma…?"_

"Riku?" The woman looked up. "Are you okay?" Riku sighed, hauling herself to her feet, only to nearly fall over before Genma caught her. She made a low growl at the back of her throat.

"My best friend doesn't remember anything: where she was born, who I am, who her friends are, who her enemies are. She doesn't even remember her own lover!" she dropped her voice. "How do you expect me to be okay?" Kakashi and Katsuki looked at Riku, whose face was red with anger.

"Um, Riku-chan, I know who you are," Katsuki said, timidly shying away from Kakashi's advances.

"Katsuki," Riku said gently, "Kakashi isn't going to hurt you." The other woman looked at him distrustfully, but allowed the man to set her on her feet. She, too, wobbled and had to lean against Kakashi for support. Unexpectedly, a flash of memory erupted in Katsuki's mind.

_Katsuki sat on a grassy hill overlooking Konoha. The houses were bathed in the light from the sunset, staining their roofs and walls a bright, rich gold. Abruptly, she leapt up, sensing a strong chakra source coming up rapidly from behind her. Then, it was gone, as soon as she felt it._

"_I'm impressed, Katsuki-chan." Said young woman whirled around, only to find herself in a familiar embrace._

"_Kashi-kun…" The silver-haired Jounin nodded, his eyes softening as he stroked the brunette's hair. _

"_You have a gift for sensing even suppressed chakra, Katsuki-chan." The brunette's face went pink. Kakashi was complimenting her! _

Suddenly, something jerked the woman awake again, and she was once again in Kakashi's arms. She looked up at him, seeing sadness in his eyes. The woman frowned but opened her mouth to speak,

"Kashi… kun…?" The Jounin's eyes brightened.

"Yes, Katsu-chan. You always used to call me that back in Konoha."

"Konoha? Konohagakure?" She looked puzzled.

"Kakashi, she has no memory of ever being affiliated with any other organization other than Akatsuki," Riku spat, the words coming harshly and clipped from her lips. Katsuki shook her head.

"No, Riku-chan! I remember! I was sitting on a grassy hill, and there were these carvings of faces down the cliff. And then Kakashi came up from behind me, and-"

"You remember that?" Katsuki looked up at the Jounin before her and nodded.

"I know you won't hurt me now…" Kakashi's eyes wavered in irritation, "… But I don't remember anything else. Well, other than I think I like y-"

"OKAY! Can we just get going back to Konoha?" Riku interjected. Genma looked at her, frowning.

"We have to find the Akatsuki hideout, Riku." She shook her head.

"If neither I nor Katsuki can remember, it's pointless. Besides, we were walking for what seemed like two days before you found us," she said. Kakashi sighed, setting Katsuki down on the grass.

"Genma, let's just finish with the bandaging and then we can go home."

"Right." After a few minutes, Kakashi noticed Katsuki absentmindedly rubbing her neck.

"Katsuki-chan, are you okay?" As she turned her head to face him, he thought he saw a flicker of red in her icy-blue irises. The Jounin moved her hand to the side and his obsidian eyes narrowed at seeing a ring of reddened bite marks. Katsuki blushed as he gazed at her intently, saying nothing. Then, the silver-haired man merely brushed some antiseptic over the wound, gently patting a bandage onto her flawless porcelain skin. The woman murmured thanks to him, before the man stood up.

"Mission complete. We should get back home." Genma stared at him.

"What about the-"

"Hideout?" Kakashi's onyx eye glared back at the brunette, before softening upon seeing the way he held Riku gently against his chest. He sighed.

"If they don't remember where it is, then there's no point in looking for it. Let's just go home." Leaning down, he picked up his pack and handed it to Katsuki, who put it on automatically. She looked apprehensive as he knelt down before her, facing away so she could ride on his back. Nevertheless, both she and Riku were lifted and carried away through the forest.

* * *

A/N: Wow, I didn't realize how much I missed this story. Anyway, here's some love for Kakashi and Genma, who were out looking for their girls but weren't written about as much. :)


	10. Curse

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, who I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi.

* * *

In the few months since she had been returned to Konohagakure, Katsuki still had no memory of living anywhere else but the Akatsuki hideout. Her relationship with Kakashi had improved exponentially, however; she was not afraid of him anymore, and they had become fast friends. Genma and Riku also tried to help, showing her pictures of bygone days, but she couldn't recollect anything about them. Even the Godaime Tsunade couldn't do anything about the memory jutsu. Now she sat on the balcony outside the apartment she apparently shared with Riku, chin rested firmly against the heel of her palm.

"It's not as though they've tried to kill me… But why do they keep insisting I'm part of this village…?" she wondered aloud, watching a group of teenagers eating at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop down the street.

"Because you do belong here, Katsuki-chan." The brunette whirled around, piercing sapphire eyes wide in fright, before she took in the sight of a work-weary Riku, a bag full of dango in one hand, a large container for tea in the other.

"Riku-san…" The other woman waved it away.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Riku deposited the items on the small table on the balcony, pulling up two chairs before retreating back into the apartment for teacups. Katsuki remained on the balcony, her brows knitted together in a melancholic expression as she waited for Riku to reappear. When she did, the raven-haired woman wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Riku-chan… Why did you take me from Deidara?" The woman paused for a second, before calmly picking up the tea container and pouring a generous amount into the two cups.

"We didn't belong there, Katsu-chan," she murmured, delicately holding her cup in her hand. The faint steam that arose from the hot liquid wavered in the air, before curling daintily into a shape that resembled a question mark. "We belong here. Over there we would have died-"

"But what about Deidara?" Katsuki's eyes narrowed, rage flooding her veins. "What about Sasori?!" Riku gazed at her student, a sad, sympathetic expression on her face. Katsuki appeared to calm down momentarily, before her teacher's face made her rage flare up again.

"You loved him! You loved Sasori, I know it! He loved you too! How could you just leave him like that?!"

"Katsuki-"

"No! You forced me against my will to leave Deidara! He was… I loved him! We loved each other! How could you take me from that?!" By now the brunette was leaning over Riku, shouting at the top of her lungs and making the people in the apartment complex across the street open their windows curiously. Riku chose to keep calm and not slap her student for her impudence. As much as it pained her, she reminded herself that it was the memory-jutsu that drove her words. She looked up, impassively, at the brunette.

"I did what I had to." The simple phrase made Katsuki see red.

Riku expected her student to lunge at her in desperate revenge, but instead, the woman only stood there, her eyes tightly shut, hands balled into fists such that her veins stood out in cords against her paling skin. A sharp whistle pierced the air as she exhaled through her teeth, eyes opening to reveal blood-red irises. Stunned, Riku dropped the teacup she held and slowly got up, stepping away from Katsuki's still form, a hand reluctantly reaching for a kunai. Abruptly, Katsuki's stance shifted, and she stood erect, her eyes flickering a brilliant ice-blue. Unexpectedly, she screamed, her hands clawing at the side of her neck.

_Where Deidara had bitten her._

"Katsuki!" Riku cried, catching the brunette as she collapsed, still clutching at her neck. Frantically, Riku tried to dislodge her fingers to see what was wrong, but the answer came all too clearly when Katsuki began to writhe and convulse.

"No…" Riku watched, open-mouthed, as thin black lines began to spread out from the hidden wound, twining in a sickly elegant way around Katsuki's neck and extending down her shoulders in a thorny pattern. Prying the brunette's limp hands from her neck, Riku saw a rose-shaped curse-mark oozing blood.

"Shit!" Riku shifted her student's weight, freeing her left hand to dash her thumb against a shard of ceramic from the broken teacup.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" she cried as she slammed her hand on the ground, feeling her chakra surround her before morphing into a huge white hawk. Taking care not to aggravate Katsuki's wounds further, she leapt onto the hawk's back, before screaming at it to go. The cold wind blew harshly in her eyes, making them water continuously. Riku looked down with fearful eyes at her student, blinking away the tears as she watched the curse mark continue to spread ever so slowly.

_"Please hold on, Katsuki. I'm not going to lose another student."_

----

_

* * *

_

A/N: Well, here is another NT chapter, at AzNcHiBi's frantic demand. I do apologize for those Naruto fans who have more knowledge of the series than I, and can tell that there are many things wrong with this story. However, please keep in mind that I am writing this almost directly from an email-based plot without much reference to the actual series, character personalities, and whatnot.


	11. Transfer

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, whom I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

* * *

Riku cringed against the heart-wrenching shrieks emitting from Katsuki's mouth as she clawed at the spreading mark on her neck. Jabbing her fingers into the white hawk beneath her, Riku urged the summon to fly faster to Tsunade's quarters. She could see the enormous building five blocks away, and just about every jounin within that radius came darting over the rooftops to see what all the commotion was about, including Kakashi and Genma. When they saw Riku's arm clutched around Katsuki's bloodstained form, they immediately leapt up onto the hawk's back.

"What happened?!" Kakashi shouted over the howling wind as Riku's summon began to check its momentum above the building. He jerked his hitai-ate up, allowing his sharingan eye to survey the damage. Genma was busy cleaning away the blood that was profusely soaking through Katsuki's clothes, but when his fingers alighted on the curse mark, his fingers jerked away as though he'd been burned. He stared at the bloody rose then looked up at Kakashi, who was frozen in horror.

"A love curse mark..." they whispered together.

"Shut up! Enough staring! We need to get her to the medic nins now!" Riku screamed at them as she threw Katsuki over her shoulder and leapt off the hawk's back, which disappeared as she did so. A small group of medic nins burst out of the rooftop door when they heard the commotion, and their eyes went wide as a few of them retreated down the stairs, only to reappear a few seconds later, carrying a stretcher and some blood-clotting medicines. Riku laid Katsuki gently on the stretcher, swiftly moving out of the way of the medic nins as they began their work staunching the flow of blood at Katsuki's neck. Riku shouted at a few who were standing nearby, other tools and medicines waiting at the ready in their hands.

"Ryoto! Midori! Go get Tsunade-sama now!" The young man and woman nodded, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Riku turned her attention to the other medics, who were preparing to transport Katsuki to the Godaime's private surgical room. No doubt they had already assessed the extreme damage, as the various medicines they had had were obviously being repulsed by the spreading curse mark twining around Katsuki's limbs and body. They too disappeared in a puff, and Riku, Genma and Kakashi all slammed their hands together in a hand-sign, before following the medics into the hospital.

--

Riku, Genma, and Kakashi found themselves in the antechamber of Tsunade's surgical room. They could hear a commotion inside the actual room itself, no doubt from the medic nins still trying to staunch the blood flow. The door to the hallway outside the antechamber banged open, revealing a very harried-looking Tsunade, followed swiftly by Shizune, Sakura Haruno, Ryoto, and Midori. The latter two immediately passed by the group, swiftly entering the surgery room without a moment's hesitation. Tsunade glanced at the door when it shut behind them, before speaking.

"Riku, what's all the commotion about?" The young raven-haired woman gritted her teeth, hands clenched into fists as her body shook all over.

"Katsuki. She's possibly in very mortal danger." Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and she turned her attention to the room, which had suddenly gone very silent. The six shinobi felt a wave of chakra burst out unexpectedly, before suddenly folding in on itself and vanishing, condensing into little more than a tiny pulse. Kakashi, Genma, Riku and Tsunade all withstood the enormous blast of energy better than Shizune and Sakura, who both felt lightheaded and fell to their knees. Riku groaned softly, putting a hand to her head in an attempt to massage away the sudden headache she received from the blast, but Tsunade gripped her by the wrist, eyes wide as she pulled the woman toward the surgery room.

"Kakashi, Genma! Go get Ibiki! Tell him to bring his top five Black Ops and station them outside in the hall! Sakura, Shizune! Come here with me!" The Godaime wrenched open the door to find the group of medic nins all on the floor, knocked unconscious by the sudden wave of energy. Riku glanced around to see her friends Ryoto and Midori barely awake, supporting themselves against each other as they leaned on the wall. Their looked as though they had taken a great physical beating, which would have explained their sudden loss of strength if their chakra levels weren't so over-charged.

"Shizune, Sakura. Start taking them all outside into the antechamber. I need this room to be clear. The two young women assented, swiftly grabbing two people each and walking back out the door. Tsunade let go of Riku, before both of them stepped over to the unconscious Katsuki. Riku's eyes widened as she saw that the curse mark had stopped bleeding, but the viscous crimson liquid still remained splattered all over her body and the table. Tsunade's eyes glanced at the mark on Katsuki's neck, frowning as she pressed lightly on different points on the body.

"Odd place for bleeding… When did she get the bite marks?" Riku's head snapped up, eyes staring at the woman as though she had gone mad. Could she not see the rose-shaped curse mark smoldering on her student's neck, as though waiting for the opportunity to blaze again? Almost unconsciously, she placed the tips of her fingers on Katsuki's neck, focusing some chakra into them.

"Dispel!" she shouted. Immediately, Tsunade's reaction was different as she stared at the mark, lips moving in silent disbelief. Shizune and Sakura returned after taking Ryoto and Midori out of the room, and now it was completely clear. They went wide-eyed at the sight of the black curse mark, burned into Katsuki's skin as though she'd been branded. The Godaime recovered herself as she saw her assistants frozen.

"This is… something you will hopefully never see again. It's a love curse-mark. It's normally given by the man in a relationship by either biting or mixing their blood with another's. It's also the only curse mark that can be activated by a third party by putting a curse on the man to control him," she murmured, face contorted into a scowl.

"What will happen to her?" Sakura asked, her voice softened into little more than a whisper.

She will feel every little thing that the man she loves goes through. Tell me, Riku-san," she looked at Riku, "... just HOW did she get this curse mark? Who is it that she loves?" The raven-haired woman stepped away from the small group, shamefaced as she went to the window, looking out over the horizon as the sun began to set, throwing its dying light out over Konohagakure. She steeled herself for the confession drawn from the memories which had been coming back to her little by little over the past month.

"I...it's my fault...Tsunade-sama. I should've brought her back before it happened," she trailed off, hands clenching into fists once more as she felt Genma's and Kakashi's chakra enter the antechamber, followed by six others which were further away but still close. Tsunade began to get exasperated, fingers probing the base of Katsuki's neck.

"Sasuke Uchiha reported that you and Katsuki had been taken by his brother Itachi, along with two other individuals, a blonde and a redhead. Both appeared to be allied with Itachi, and S-class criminals. Apparently, the blonde was Deidara of Iwagakure. The redhead was Sasori of the Red Sand. Now, Riku-san..." she stepped over to the young woman, now shaking in terror at the memories overflowing her mind. "What happened?"

"It's just as it is… We were taken to their hideout and she fell for… for him… But… Sa… Sasori let us go…" Riku said, her voice shaking. Tsunade's mouth turned down in a frown.

"Did he do anything to you?" The question shocked the black-haired woman, inadvertently making her go on the defensive.

"N-No! Of… Of course not!" Eyes narrowing, Tsunade placed two fingers on Riku's forehead, closing her eyes as her chakra and Riku's flowed together in her memories…

_A gentle kiss… _

_A tall, redheaded young man wrapping his strong arms around Riku's slender form… _

_Red eyes filled with tears… _

_His lips forming the words "I love you"…_

Tsunade gasped and fell back several steps toward Katsuki's still form. A heavy silence fell over the room, and Shizune and Sakura glanced at each other, deciding it would probably be best if they were not there at the moment. As soon as the door fell shut behind them, Tsunade's voice came out in an almost inaudible whisper.

"Do you _know_ what the penalty-"

"Yes." Riku interrupted, whirling around, her eyes hard as diamond as she stared intently at Katsuki. "I know perfectly well who he is and what crimes he has committed. I am willing to take the punishment for such actions."

Tsunade seemed to recover from her shock, and she straightened up, voice becoming more commanding as she spoke.

"…The ANBU will take you back to your apartment. I will do my best to heal Katsu-"

"… Deidara…" Tsunade and Riku both turned to look at the brunette, who was mumbling faintly.

"Sensei… help… No… No, stop… Stop hurting him…" She began to cry. "Stop! Stop hurting him! Sensei, make them stop!" Katsuki's shrieks brought not only Shizune and Sakura back into the room, but Genma, Kakashi, and Ibiki. Tsunade glared at the three who came through the door last, shouting at them to get out.

"With all due respect, I am as responsible for her as Riku is," Kakashi murmured, voice low, visible eye blazing with determination. "I will not leave this room unless I know she is going to be all right." Tsunade glanced at Riku, who was clutching her student's hand as she continued to scream.

"Deidara! Sensei, make it stop!" Riku's eyes began to glisten with tears as she saw the curse mark pulsing, slowly spreading its thorny grasp down her student's arms once more.

_"This is bad… I don't even know if I can heal this girl,"_ Tsunade thought, mouth drawn in a tight line. She saw Kakashi out of the corner of her eye, his hands clenched tightly into fists, trying to restrain himself from rushing to her side. Shizune and Sakura were trying their best to help stop the mark from spreading. Tsunade's eyes closed as she felt helplessness begin to descend on her, something she had not felt in a long time. Abruptly, Katsuki's screams ceased, causing the entire room to reverberate with silence.

"Is it possible to transfer the curse mark?" The sudden question had everyone's attention snap to Riku. Kakashi's mouth visibly opened under his mask, Shizune and Sakura stopped fiddling with pads of gauze, and Tsunade stared at her.

"You're not suggesting what I think you are, are you?" Riku's eyes blazed with determination, not the slightest hint of hesitation in either her eyes or body.

"Transfer the curse onto me, Tsunade-sama." The Godaimer ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"… You're not doing this because of what happened to your last student, are you? It's possible neither of you will survive the transfer-"

"This isn't about any of my former students. It's about the student I have now. I am not going to let her go through this and suffer like any of the others. It's a chance I'm going to take, even if I may sound selfish. But it's what I've decided." Tsunade stared hard at the young woman, who still clasped Katsuki's hand in her own.

"… You realize the pain it will cause you? Also the psychological damage you may suffer…?"

"Think of this as my punishment, as well as Katsuki's." She glanced at her student with a pained expression on her face that wasn't from the vice around her hand. "Please Tsunade." The woman pursed her lips.

"… Very well, then. Shizune. Sakura." They nodded and disappeared, most likely to get another gurney for Riku. Tsunade looked at Kakashi with eyes that pleaded for him to leave, that what would follow in this room would not be something he wanted to see. He shook his head.

"I love her," was his only response. She sighed.

"At least tell Ibiki to prepare for… the worst." A single tear escaped the copy nin's visible eye as he nodded, hands shaking as he opened the door, closing it behind him with a little more force than was necessary. Shizune and Sakura reappeared in the room, a gurney between them and some other medical tools they would probably need for the transfer. Tsunade looked at them as they put everything in order, shifting Katsuki's gurney over to make room for the one Riku would lay on. The raven-haired woman got on the bed with a deliberate slowness, still clutching Katsuki's hand in her own. Soon she felt pinpricks along her arm as Shizune prepared her for an intravenous, Sakura doing the same to Katsuki. A few minutes later, Riku began to feel the weight of the burden about to be transferred to her, and she closed her eyes, silently begging Katsuki to forgive her. She felt Shizune back away as Tsunade came to her side.

"Riku… we're ready," she murmured. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Riku grinned half-heartedly as she raised her hand, still clasped tightly in Katsuki's.

"A bit late to go back on decisions now, Tsunade-sama." She turned her eyes to her student's grimacing face, silent tears streaming down the sides of her face and into her chocolate hair. Riku saw Shizune, a syringe in her hand, and Sakura, holding the IV tube at the ready, viridian eyes wide with concern. For a second, she almost pitied the strawberry-haired girl; no doubt this had to be the first time she could possibly have blood on her hands from a willing patient. Lifting her eyes to Katsuki's face once more, she sighed.

"Go ahead." She didn't feel the anesthetics hit her blood stream, nor did she pay attention to the fuzziness edging her vision after a few minutes. The only thing Riku could concentrate on was Katsuki's face, gradually relaxing as her nightmares stopped… slowly going in and out of focus…

* * *

A/N: AzNcHiBi is done with waiting, for which I am terribly sorry. Therefore, I shall do my best to crank out one chapter a week of this story. I've only got a few more left, and I'm surprised that I've been procrastinating on finishing it...


	12. Recollection

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, whom I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

* * *

"Shizu… Status…" Riku drifted through darkness, her ears picking up the slightest hints of voices as she vacillated between unconsciousness and dreams. None of them were pleasant, but filled with nightmares of Katsuki's pain, of her screams and horror, of a redheaded man with a puppet's body…

_"No…"_

----------------

Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura all glanced at the unconscious woman on the surgical table, unsure of whether or not their ears had deceived them. Had Riku made it successfully through the transfer?

----------------

Riku felt as though she lay on her back against a hard surface. She could feel a dull throbbing ringing her neck, spreading in minute tendrils before suddenly halting as they reached a barrier. But what?

Suddenly, the raven-haired young woman saw Katsuki, her face blurred by the darkness surrounding her in the dream. Her lips strained to form the sounds that would name her student, all the while furiously blinking her eyes to clear their smoky vision. The pain that wound about her neck intensified sharply, and Katsuki's face broke through the blur, throwing itself into sharp relief as a bright white light stabbed at her eyes…

----------------

"KATSUKI!" All three women in the women gave a start as Riku screamed the name of her student. Tsunade was the first by her side, noting how the woman's eyes were wide open, pupils dilated, breathing unchecked. Though her surprise was beyond great that Riku had survived the curse-seal transfer, she managed to keep her voice in a calm tone.

"Riku." Slowly, as though she had a stiff neck, Riku turned her head, staring, but not quite seeing, at the blonde.

"Tsunade…" Riku's whisper came out almost inaudibly. The Godaime sighed at the recognition, for not only did it mean a successful transfer, but it also meant Riku was in full control of her sanity. For now, Tsunade decided to give the young woman some relief before the work began.

"Katsuki is right beside you, Riku. She hasn't moved since we started." Sakura, who had stood patiently by the brunette's side throughout the entire operation, gently lifted Katsuki's and Riku's hands, helping the distraught young teacher hold onto her student as proof that they were both alive and well. Riku's eyes filled with tears as she mouthed a grateful 'Thank you" to the young chuunin, before her eyes returned to her student, searching for any possibly remaining sign of the curse-mark.

She found none.

"Ah-" Riku gave a start, jolting as Shizune's cold, gloved fingers pressed against her neck— five of them, to be exact.

"Seal." Any handsigns Shizune may have made went unnoticed as Riku felt a surge of chakra flow into her neck, centering in a single circular formation under her skin. When the assistant drew away, Riku slowly lifted her hand to her neck, fingers drawing across the light ridges she found there.

"It's there, Riku. And it's not very pretty, but we managed it," came Tsunade's exhausted voice. Heavy earthen eyes lifted to take in the blonde's obvious fatigue, Shizune's worried countenance, Sakura's mild amazement, and a grateful expression came over her face.

"Thank you… All of you…" Her voice came out barely more than a whisper, and she coughed, reluctantly letting go of Katsuki's hand before gingerly propping herself up in a sitting position. The rush of blood from her head made her dizzy for a moment, and the curse-mark throbbed again.

"Ugh… How long did it take?" she asked.

"About seven hours," Sakura said, walking over to help Shizune disconnect the IV from Riku's arm. "It's about eleven, now." Riku glanced out the single window and indeed, she could see a myriad of stars stretching across the navy-blue expanse, dotting the rich velvet with diamonds in a train of silver. Once more, Riku turned to her student, who was still unconscious, although there was no ugly brand marring the skin of her neck. She frowned at a sudden thought.

"Where's Kakashi?" Tsunade pursed her lips.

"Asleep, on a pallet outside. Genma's there too. We had to… persuade them to get some rest." The raven-haired woman smiled slightly at the blonde's irritated tone. Yes, when those two got possessive, they _were_ possessive. Unexpected moisture began to bead in her eyes, and the curse-seal throbbed as a wave of grateful pain swept down her body. She bowed her head, beginning to weep, and sobbed.

"Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san, Sakura-san, thank you so much."

* * *

**Six months later:**

* * *

Deidara and Sasori perched on a tree limb not far from the entrance to Konohagakure. For at least the hundredth time, the blonde's voice interrupted the redhead's mental plan of attack to voice the same question.

"So. We're really going to try and get them back? After all we went through to try and save them…?" Sasori growled at the Iwa nin through Hiruko's voice.

"We must. If we fail-"

"Don't remind me, hm," came the clipped reply, as Deidara flexed his fingers. The skin on his body looked as though it had been burned in random places, and the blonde knew his partner sported similar, now mostly-healed wounds. Ice-blue eyes surveyed the land as it basked in the glory of the setting sun, waiting for Sasori to make up his mind about when and where to attack. For six months he had dreamed of this day, when he could finally return Katsuki to where she belonged… with him. Deidara was sure Sasori felt the same about Riku.

----------------

Katsuki and Riku sat out on their balcony, relaxing as they always did after one of Riku's check-ups with Tsunade. The brunette, feeling it was the least she could do, was making sure she pampered her teacher as much as possible in return for the transfer, much to Riku's chagrin. Still, Katsuki had practically bullied Riku into a reclining seat while she herself took one of the harder wooden chairs, plunking their summer food between them. So far, the curse-mark had not been giving either woman any trouble, but it unexpectedly drained a little bit of Riku's physical energy every day, most likely because she bore a transferred mark. It was almost the height of summer, and the sun was setting, casting its rich glow over the entire village. The women's apartment faced away from the intense rays, and they watched for the descent of night as they snacked on coffee jelly and drank milk tea. With pearls, of course.

"Sensei, ever since you had the curse-mark transferred to you, have you ever thought about…" Katsuki trailed off, nervously tapping the bottom of her plastic cup against the steel railing of the balcony. This wasn't a conversation the raven-haired woman had looked forward to after her transfer, and she was surprised it had taken Katsuki so long to bring it up again. The girl still didn't remember much of her past life, but she was getting along quite well with Kakashi again, and even Genma was happy the group was finally returning to normal. She finished chewing a mouthful of coffee jelly and tilted her head inquisitively.

"About…?" The brunette fidgeted, making the lavender milk tea in her cup slosh around noisily. "Well… About… Sasori?" She glanced at her teacher, who remained impassive, but looked away as though contemplating. Katsuki bit her lip.

"I know I've thought about Deidara… I… I really meant it when I said I loved him…" She heard Riku sigh behind her, followed by the soft swishing as she picked up her regular milk tea and drank.

"I've thought about him a few times. Not for too long, though. My life's too complicated for love." Her expression turned soft, and her voice lowered to a whisper. "I know you meant it. I could tell, but sometimes… you have to let things go." She looked out over the horizon as the first hints of night began to tinge the forest line a dark blue. "Sometimes we have to go with what other people have decided." Katsuki remained silent, leaning against the back of her chair as she fingered the hitai-ate around her forehead. One sure thing she had managed to recall from the time before her capture—she was sure she had been a Konoha kunoichi now—was that statement. When she first entered the Academy, she had heard Riku say that to the entire group, and it was true: as a shinobi, you basically dedicated your entire life to what the Hokage wanted of you. Of course you had your choices, ones you made in your private life, or even some missions.

Katsuki also knew that she no longer loved Deidara anymore, but she still felt an almost unbearable longing for him sometimes. She and Riku both knew it was Kakashi that was causing such changes in her heart, but she found that she truly loved Kakashi now. That had led to an unexpected night at the copy-nin's after a double date with Genma and Riku, and the pair had… Katsuki blushed. Not that she hadn't enjoyed what had transpired, but it _had_ been her first time. She remembered the way Kakashi had been so concerned about her at the beginning, the way his body had moved so sinuously as they rocked together; the taut muscles, toned by years of training, dampened with sweat; the cut of his hips as they led downward…

"_God! Kakashi!"_

"What are you thinking about?" The brunette was startled out of her reverie, falling out of her chair, spluttering with a face that would put a cherry to shame.

"Nothing!" Riku burst out laughing at Katsuki's expression, not to mention the fact that she had nearly drowned herself in her own drink and was now coughing and spitting out unwanted tapioca pearls that were threatening to choke her.

"Yeagh! It's not funny Riku!" The brunette spat out more pearls as Riku doubled over in laughter, clutching her sides and gasping.

"It's Kakashi, isn't it?" she managed to gasp out. This only made Katsuki's face flush even more, until she was almost the color of a plum. Riku was caught between the urge to laugh even more or try and calm the brunette down so she wouldn't pass out. She didn't get the chance to do either, however, when she felt an unexpected pulse of chakra nearby. Apparently, Katsuki had felt it too, as she flew back into the apartment reappearing in a split second with weapons. Both women leapt upward to the roof of the building so they could find out where the pulse had come from. It was almost fully night, but the moon cast a rather strong light over the village, and as they neared the top of the building, they could feel an unexpectedly fierce wind emanating from it.

"_It- How- He-"_ Katsuki's thoughts were muddled in disbelief as she leapt over the guard rail, kunai in hand. Riku heard the brunette gasp as she herself drew the katana at her waist. Both Deidara and Sasori, who stood within Hiruko, remained standing just in front of an enormous clay summon in the shape of an owl. The bird explained the whirlwind coming from the roof, and how they got there, but the 'why' still remained to be heard. Deidara stepped forward a bit, an enigmatic smile on her face. He flicked his long blonde bang out of his face and smirked at Katsuki.

"Long time no see, Katsu-chan, hm." Riku saw her student tremble beside her, and she felt dread well up in her; how would Katsuki handle seeing her former 'lover' again, now that she had made such strong connections again in Konoha? She was about to get her answer.

"You… You! How could you put a curse on me?! Sensei had to get it transferred to her own body just to save my life! I thought-" She choked, the ghosts of longing and love filling her heart once more, all thoughts of Kakashi disappearing as she stared at Deidara in pain. "I thought you loved me." The blonde's face went unexpectedly lax, brows knitting together in what looked like worry.

"But Katsu-chan…" The brunette shut her eye tightly, gritting her teeth. Then, unsure of whether she'd really done it or not, Riku saw Katsuki's hands rip a pair of senbon from her pouch, pivoting on one foot and lunging at the Iwa man, before screaming out her sudden hatred.

"DIE TRAITOR!"

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A/N: I'm feeling rather accomplished, both in my stories and in life. Anyway, here is another update. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Flames will be used to feed the fire that makes me hot tea to get through difficult times, so thank you either way. :)


	13. Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, whom I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

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"Katsuki, no!" Riku made as if to go after her student, only to have her movements halted as a familiar chakra surged through her body. She gritted her teeth against the chakra as she watched the brunette fly at Deidara, who parried with his own kunai before they began to fight.

"Sasori," she growled, muscles screaming in protest at the sudden locking. The redhead pulled her inside Hiruko, chakra strings dangling from key points on her body as he dragged her backward into his embrace.

"Let her go. This is her fight." Riku could hear the longing in his voice, his tone raw with pain and love as he pulled her flush against his front. He buried his wooden face in her raven hair, closing his eyes and wishing to all the gods that he could have his sense of smell and touch once more. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and waist, crushing her body to his in a desperation he didn't know he could feel. Despite her inability to move, Riku strained against his embrace, thrashing her head from side to side.

"Stop, now!" Sasori only held her tighter, his heart constricting with the knowledge that this might well be the last time he would ever hold her. Riku felt his chakra receding from her body, and began to struggle openly. She could see Katsuki and Deidara —both already with minor wounds— still fighting. The brunette was blinded with tears and rage; her blonde lover with pain and love.

"Sasori, I beg you, let me go!" The redhead's arms broke their hold on her, and Riku stumbled forward, throwing herself out of Hiruko just in time to see Katsuki sink a handful of senbon and kunai into Deidara's body, pinpointing spots which would do the most damage to his internal organs. The blonde's eyes widened as he looked down at her, before a sudden cough sent a mouthful of blood spattering across Katsuki's face. The Iwa nin collapsed to the ground, twitching as the projectiles shifted in his body, soft cries of pain escaping his lips.

Katsuki stared down at him, realization dawning on her. Not the acknowledgement that she had defeated an S-class criminal, an Akatsuki member, but the realization that she had severely injured her former lover, the man whom she knew to be sane and gentle where all others would call him crazy and ruthless. She dropped to her knees, her weapons slipping through her fingers as she gently cradled Deidara's head, eyes wide in trepidation.

"What have I done?" Riku stared at her student, who was murmuring in shock, feeling Sasori's gaze shifting from her back to his partner as he stepped out of Hiruko. Deidara coughed, his good eye fluttering open.

"I came back to say… I was sorry and… I lo… I love…" The Iwa nin visibly struggled in his confession, but the blood flowing out of his body was too quick, choking him, drowning him with its crimson brilliance. Katsuki watched, horrified, as her former lover began to choke on his own blood.

"NO!" Riku felt a harsh grip on her arm whirl her around from the gruesome sight and came face to face with her own redheaded lover. Sasori stared down at her hard, his Hiruko costume crumpled carelessly on the roof a few feet away. His mouth moved with words he wanted to say, but couldn't, eyes betraying the emotions his still-human heart felt. His eyes glanced over to Deidara and Katsuki, before focusing on Riku. She gave a start, confused, at the burning look in his eyes, but she didn't get the chance to ask before the familiar pair of hard, cold, wooden lips was on hers again, pressing insistently, desperately, trying to pry her mouth open. Riku nearly lost it at the feel of the redhead's lips on hers, but she shoved him back before she could truly lose herself, eyes hard.

"We're past that Sasori." She cringed at the unnecessary clipped sentence. His face fell, but turned his face away.

"I guess we are." Suddenly, there was a cloud of smoke and Kakashi and Genma appeared, eyes wide at the sight of the Akatsuki and kunoichi. Sasori's eyes narrowed, and he retreated quickly into Hiruko, darting to Deidara's side.

"He's still alive, Katsuki. We're taking him back." The brunette stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes while Kakashi and Genma glanced from her to Riku in an obvious question of her loyalty. Kakashi moved into Katsuki's line of vision, and as she stared ahead, her gaze haunted, she seemed to be looking through him. Riku felt Genma at her side, but she was staring just like her student. Sasori's face screwed up in confusion at Katsuki's gaze, before he stumbled back.

"No…" Kakashi stared at the brunette, at the spot where she had had the curse mark on her neck. It was gradually darkening, pearls of blood leaking from the skin.

"Riku!" Genma screamed in horror as his lover clutched at her neck, struggling not to scream. Despite her efforts, a few pained shrieks escaped her lips, making Katsuki look at her. Almost as though she had no volition of her own, the brunette got up from Deidara's side, walking quickly to Riku's before dropping to her knees, seemingly exhausted. Kakashi and Genma saw her shudder, a red tint visible in her eyes as she slowly lifted her hands to Riku's neck. As soon as she touched her teacher's neck, Riku's convulsions stopped, and she looked up into the brunette's eyes with a wary look.

"Sensei," Katsuki began, her blue eyes returning to normal, but seeing things far away in her memory. "I want… I can't… stay here anymore. I'm just making everything worse…"

"No." Riku glared at her student. "That's what you think." Abruptly, the men shouted a warning, before their voices died in their throats. Riku felt Sasori's familiar chakra flood through her body again before she, too, was frozen.

"We're getting out of here," came Sasori's soft voice. Already, he had slung the injured Deidara across his shoulders, uncaring about the blood soaking through the wood of his Hiruko puppet.

"_**Now**_, Katsuki." The brunette's eyes never left Riku's as she stepped back toward the redhead, who was twisting his free hand in signs to summon the clay owl again. Kakashi strained fervently against Sasori's hold in vain, his eyes locked on Katsuki's retreating back.

"Will you betray everyone you've come to know?" he shouted. "Will you betray the ones… you love?" Katsuki looked at the jounin when his voice subsided to a barely audible whisper, and wasn't surprised to see tears welling in his eyes. He blinked and a single tear slid down his cheek, darkening a spot where his mask was. She looked down, ashamed.

"I can't stay, Kashi-kun…" The other jounin both felt Sasori's chakra weakening as the owl summon appeared, flapping its wings and kicking up a dust devil on the roof. Still, they were held fast. Katsuki placed her hand over her mouth, closing her eyes as tears began to flow down her face. She closed her hand in a gentle fist, opening her eyes at the same time. Extending her arm toward Kakashi, she began to step onto the owl. The three frozen shinobi shouted at her.

"Don't-!"

"You'll betray-!

"You can't really love Dei-!"

"I love you, Kakashi." Katsuki's words silenced them. She released the small dove summon she held, where it flew to Kakashi and pecked him on the lips, imitating the way she herself would have kissed him. She turned to each of the others in turn, before grasping onto Hiruko. Sasori flicked his index finger, directing the summon, and pulled his other hand back, releasing the jounin from his control. Immediately, they began to follow the owl, which was rapidly gaining speed, until they hit the edge of Konoha's limits. The three jounin didn't hear the startled cries of the other shinobi a hundred feet below; they didn't feel the cool wind of night stealing over the treetops as they stood atop the main gateway, which was being closed for the night. They watched, frustrated that they could not, by Hokage law, follow their quarry.

"We must warn the Hokage," Riku reminded them gently, feeling her heart constrict in her chest. Genma pulled gently at her arm, and they both took off toward the Hokage's quarters. Only Kakashi remained, staring hard into the fading sunlight. He held the now-still bird in his hand, cradling it as he felt the strong pulse of the chakra Katsuki had placed in it. He struggled not to clench his fist around it, eyes filling with tears that he angrily brushed away. His shoulders lifted as he breathed in deeply, before an enormous anguished cry escaped him. When his breath returned, he held only a single thought in his mind, one which he repeated under his breath, as though Katsuki would hear him:

"I will find you."

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A/N: Please review, even if you don't think it's a good story. It makes both AzNcHiBi and I happy when our efforts are rewarded with reviews.


	14. Within

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, whom I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

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The sun had apparently just broken over the horizon in the Hidden Leaf Village, illuminating a hazy grey sky crowded with fat clouds hanging low, pressing oppressively over the village like an unwelcome damp blanket. A lone woman sat in a concrete room, surrounded by painted seals on the walls, floor, and ceiling. There were nicks, gashes, and holes in the pallid stone, and weapons ranging from kunai to shuriken were strewn about everywhere, giving the room an overall hostile appearance.

"_Not much has changed in Konohagakure in five years,"_ Riku thought, staring sadly out the window from her spot on the cold cement floor. The day outside was getting more bleak, much like her disposition, so unlike the day her student had left the village, betraying the trust of all her friends. She turned her attention to the bandages she was wrapping around her hands and wrists, a discarded pile of soot-blackened gauze laying on the floor beside her. Once she had completed the task, she got up and stretched, yawning as she straightened her loose kimono. Strapped to her waist were five katana, each with a different color and kanji etched into the hilt. Her fingers danced over her swords as she glanced out the window once more, dropping her arms to her sides as she allowed her painful memories to flood through her mind.

"_Five years… And still nothing. Will we ever find her?"_

_--------------  
_

"You sure you're up for this?" A pale young man, probably in his early or mid twenties now, glanced at the slight figure beside him. The shadowed entity nodded, a chocolate bang escaping from beneath the hat they wore.

"I owe it to that village for all that they put me through." A sun-kissed hand slipped out of the black robe to pull away the hat, revealing wavy brown tresses, a serious, feminine face, and piercing azure eyes. Katsuki Fujiwara smiled back at her lover as he quietly followed her from Pein's room, his eyes softening as they both heard a quiet wail issue from within. Konan appeared briefly at the door, a tiny wrapped bundle in her arms, and an uncharacteristic smile curving her lips.

"Don't worry, Katsuki, Deidara," she said, cooing at the bundle of fabric. She twirled a finger over a fold in the cloth and a tiny hand flew out, the mouth in the palm toothless, enveloping Konan's fingertip before grasping onto her finger. She huffed playfully.

"Ooh, you little…"

"Hey, take it easy, hm." Deidara smiled, wrapping an arm around Katsuki's waist. "We want him to be alive and well when we get back." Konan smiled back, gently placing the bundle in Katsuki's arms before leaning against the wall, ready to take the baby back from her friend. The brunette gazed down fondly at the child, feeling her lover's gaze intensify as he pulled her closer to him. She and Deidara were both fiercely protective over the baby, the result of five years' worth of waiting. Now, to separate from their treasure was nearly unbearable. Katsuki kissed the child's forehead, before handing the bundle to Deidara. Lifting a free hand, the blonde cradled the side of the baby's head in his palm, letting the mouth open and the tongue tickle the tiny ear there. Even Konan had to smile as the baby giggled, before the couple returned their child to her.

"Take care of him, sister," Katsuki murmured, eyes glistening as she gazed at the child.

"Have no fear, Katsu-chan," the origami folder replied, rocking the baby gently. Deidara pulled on Katsuki's waist, and they began the long walk to the hidden exit, away from their child and into the perils of what could very well be their last mission...

_--------------_

Riku had just exited the room she cloistered herself in when a panicked shrieking began from the nearby town square. Eyes narrowing, she quickly scaled the building across from her, leaping back and forth up the walls between the two buildings before alighting on the roof of the one she'd just exited. The sight that met her eyes was both unexpected and shocking.

An enormous white dove flapped its wings over the village square, sending the early-morning market patrons scrambling for cover. Smaller birds were circling around it, sometimes darting into different buildings before exploding. Riku's eyes widened considerably as she whipped out a katana, trying to sense the chakra flowing through the summon. She didn't have to feel much before a laugh cut across her ears, one that was so familiar, yet too cruel to be the real one…

"It's them." Riku glanced to the side when she heard Genma's voice, incredulity tingeing his voice.

"Akatsuki?!" To her right, Anko and Ibiki stood close by, hands flying for weapons as the scene of destruction continued to unfold before them.

"Leave them to us." Riku didn't need to turn around to know who had spoken, the deadpan voice full of pain and loathing, the single obsidian eye narrowed at the pair kneeling atop the dove-summon. The raven-haired woman exhaled sharply as she waved Anko and Ibiki off.

"Your duty is to protect the Hokage and Naruto," she murmured to the pair to her right. "This is our fight alone. Secure the perimeter with all available Black Ops. Go!" Not waiting for an answer, Riku, Genma, and Kakashi leapt off the roof toward the two Akatsuki.

_--------------_

Katsuki glanced to her right when she saw a sudden movement over the rooftops, and was unsurprised to see her former sensei after her. She laughed.

"Look! They've come to throw us a welcome party!" Deidara smirked, following his lover as she leapt off her summon onto a wide rooftop. It didn't take long for three other shinobi to catch up, leaping over the railing to face the two Akatsuki.

"Well, well, Riku, Genma. Long time no see." Katsuki lightly flipped her brown hair over her shoulder.

"Hm. And the famous Copy Nin himself!" Deidara sneered, fingers already molding clay figures. Kakashi's eye narrowed dangerously as he pulled his hitai-ate up, revealing the Sharingan eye hidden there. Katsuki felt Deidara flinch, his body locking as he took a step back.

"Maybe if our son was old enough, he could take out your scrawny shrimp of a teacher, hm." Katsuki felt unnerved the faint quaver in the blonde's voice, but she didn't let it reach her eyes.

"Maybe he could've taken out all three of these jounin…" Riku hissed at the brunette as her hands dipped into her weapons pouches, pulling out a handful of senbon needles. Katsuki tilted her head, grinning.

"Got over my fear a couple of years ago when I was initiated into the Akatsuki." Kakashi made to lunge but Genma held him back, eyes widening at the woman beside him. His sudden movement caused the rest to focus on Riku, whose low crouch was almost animalistic, her fire katana gripped tightly in one hand. A chill swept through them all as they heard a low, guttural chuckle issue from Riku's bowed head.

"Heh. Well, this is a first." Katsuki frowned.

"A first for what? Your imminent death?" Suddenly she regretted saying anything, because Riku had just looked up, her eyes a bloody red.

"No. You're the first of any of my students to come back. Alive, I might add." Student leapt at teacher on the last word, both pairs of eyes flooded with bloodlust. Deidara staggered back at the sight of his lover's ferocity, nearly tripping over his feet as he tried to back away. But those few seconds had lost him precious time, as both Kakashi and Genma leapt at him in that instant of his weakness. The Konoha nins fought to protect all that they loved and cherished, startling the blonde with their desire to kill him. But their fierceness was nothing compared to the sheer power both Katsuki and Riku were giving off.

The essence of the curse mark that had been transferred from student to teacher had not completely left Katsuki's body, clinging to vessels in her bloodstream, dormant, until they could awake. Therefore, Riku had the lesser power gained from the curse mark, but over the past five years she had gained other powers, some much more horrifying than any Katsuki could have generated. Black flames swirled around both women, their eyes a vivid crimson, smoke and flames issuing from their mouths as they snarled and hissed at each other. Riku's stance was no longer that of any woman, more like an animal ready to pounce on its prey and rip its throat out. Flames of white fire flew from her shoulder blades like an enraged angel's wings. She held her katana in her hands, keeping it low to the ground as she watched her student. Katsuki held herself poised like a bird of prey, finger nails long enough to be called talons, even darker flames extending from her shoulders like wings. Using both their weapons and powers, they fought relentlessly, despair, rage, and love fueling their fight. Riku saw Katsuki glance back for a split second to see how Deidara was faring, and in those few precious moments of distraction, she lunged by her student, aiming directly for the blonde.

Kakashi had frozen Deidara with his Sharingan despite the immense pain he felt from a gash in his chest, but looked away when Genma screamed a warning, barely pushing the copy nin out of Riku's attack. The blonde was unable to react to the sudden offensive move, and the pain of having his arm ripped from his body didn't register for a full five seconds after the fact. He shrieked in pain as Riku wiped the blood from her blade. The scream alerted Katsuki, who turned and looked on in horror. The sight of her lover's blood flowing freely onto the concrete of the roof made her see red, and she felt her chakra flare more powerfully than even Naruto's. Riku felt the immense wave blast her in the face like a heat wave, and knew that her time had come. As soon as Katsuki moved to lunge toward her, Riku sheathed her katana, running through all the handsigns for the animals of the zodiac, before ending at the one for the Dog. Then, she did something she never thought she'd have to do. Instead of using her generated power for a defense, she slammed her hands over her heart and stomach. The response was immediate. Kakashi and Genma leapt to safety across the rooftop, away from where Riku was making her transformation.

The images and sounds of a human turning into a Tailed Beast were so horrifying they were indescribable. There were innumerable sounds of cracking as bones broke and shifted; the awful gurgling and slimy slipping as muscles shifted, stretched, and grew. Fur sprouted with a bristling noise as Riku's body morphed into an enormous fearsome creature, one that was still growing. Katsuki's power waned as she saw the monster her former teacher was becoming, and for the first time in five years, fear struck her heart. All too suddenly, there it stood, in the place of her beloved teacher, a monster with its tails tipped in different colors, and Katsuki's power faded completely, so that her teal eyes were wide as she, alone, faced the Houkou, the Five-Tailed Dog.

The dog advanced on the brunette, swishing its red-tipped tail, creating a ring of fire around the four other shinobi. Katsuki was frozen in fear. She didn't even notice the blur which flew in front of her or the voice which shouted out in her defense.

"Stop, Riku! You can't!" Kakashi shouted, arms flung out in a feeble attempt to protect his beloved. The dog roared at him, which drove the copy nin to his knees as he covered his ears. Only Katsuki remained standing.

"Why? First the curse seal, now this. Why?" her quiet inquiry was nearly lost in the roar of the flames surrounding them. She felt a cool blast of air on her forehead, and she heard Riku's voice. Or was it the Houkou's?

"_You are the first of my students to ever return alive, Katsuki,"_ she growled. _"I became the Houkou for the village… to protect it… so that you have a place to come back to. To call home."_ The deep earthen eyes of the dog still held the same gleam as those of her sensei, and Katsuki felt tears well up in her eyes. Her voice broke when she tried to speak.

"I don't deserve it…"

"_Because you retained some of the same powers as your mother? As this demon?_" The Riku-Houkou snorted. "_Your mother's consciousness remains a part of the Houkou demon, as will yours when you pass._" The voice turned serious again. "_But for now, you have people who love you here, who want to spend the rest of their lives with you, regardless of who or what you are._" The dog gently nuzzled Kakashi, who looked a bit stunned to come so close to a Tailed Beast and live.

"_Spend the rest of your days with those who love you dearly. Unconditionally."_ Katsuki looked away from her sensei-turned-Houkou, and her eyes overflowed with tears as Kakashi embraced her, his arms squeezing her so tightly she thought she would suffocate.

"I love you, Katsuki," he murmured, fingers swiftly unzipping the Akatsuki cloak, pulling the marred hitai-ate from her forehead. The copy-nin pulled the evidence of her betrayal from her body, eyes filling with tears as he saw she'd kept the kunoichi clothes he'd given her on her twentieth birthday. He held her at arm's length, careful to keep from getting his blood on her.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." The copy nin leaned closer, tilting his head. Suddenly, his lips were on hers, burning with passion and longing, holding the promise of a good life full of love. Katsuki's eyes slid closed, and her tears flew faster. Unexpectedly, she remembered the memory jutsu that had been placed on her almost six years previously, and the last frail thread of resistance was shattered. The forgotten memories of her childhood, her life before any of the Akatsuki had entered it, those of her love for Kakashi, for Riku, even for Genma, flooded through her mind, and she finally knew her home was in Konoha, with Kakashi. Uncaring of the blood soaking his clothes, Katsuki threw her arms around his neck, kissing him with her entire being. The Houkou dog, glanced at Genma, who smiled slightly, unsure, as the Riku-Houkou lowered its snout to nuzzle his face. Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end when there was a hysterical scream from behind the Tailed Beast. Deidara was standing up, his remaining arm poised in a throwing stance.

"NO! SHE WILL NEVER BELONG TO YOU! SHE BELONGS TO ME!" With that he hurled an all-too-well-aimed clay bird straight at Kakashi's back. Riku and Genma were too slow to react, and all they could do was scream in horror as they watched the projectile inch closer and closer to the couple. Katsuki's eyes opened and saw the bird, her eyes widening in shock. And then Kakashi could no longer feel her warmth in his arms, just a cold breeze that blew past him to his left. He whirled around, seeing Katsuki rush forward, arms outspread, hands cupped to catch something…

Then there was a deafening bang…

Piercing, blinding light…

Searing hot liquid splashing across his face…

And then there was silence.

Kakashi opened his eyes, mouth dropping in a wordless scream, staring in horror at the sight before him.

"_**NO!**_"

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A/N: Dear me, what a terrible cliffhanger. Fastest update in a long while, though. Too long. Almost three years too long. Anyway, this was actually supposed to be two chapters, but I cut an incredible amount out from the original email plotline, added some of my own recent creations, and this is what I came up with. Not sure when chapter 15 will be up, but I am nearing the end of term, so I ought to be able to catch up with this story at least by the end of the month. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. This story is almost over, so, dear readers, please bear with me.


	15. Eternity

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, whom I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

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Note: If I may be so bold, I suggest listening to either "Yuna's Ballad" from the Final Fantasy X-2 Soundtrack or "Tonight and the Rest of My Life" by Nina Gordon while reading this chapter.

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Katsuki's legs trembled from the impact of the bomb Deidara had hurled at Kakashi's back. She didn't hear the copy nin's horrified scream or the sudden outraged roar of the Houkou as it turned on Deidara, jaws snapping at him as he lay on the ground, blood pouring from his shoulder. The blonde Iwa man was laughing maniacally with hysteria, tears of grief and utter shock streaming from his eyes as he saw the macabre result of his 'artwork.'

"Kah… Aha ha ha!… Katsuki…!" Genma watched in horror as the Five-Tailed Dog advanced upon the insane man, lips curling back from enormous white teeth, mouth opening in an unforgiving maw before snapping shut, cutting off the deranged laughter for eternity. The brunette cringed as blood streamed from between the Houkou's teeth and the Iwa nin's body fell limply away from her mouth in a crimson puddle. Genma looked on, stomach heaving at the extreme carnage committed by his beloved, as the Houkou turned to stare him in the eyes.

"Riku…" He couldn't do much more than whisper, before he turned away from the rage- and pain-filled eyes and was violently sick. Kakashi stood frozen in horror, shell-shocked by both the explosion and the scene of violence less than five feet in front of him. Viscous crimson liquid flowed around his feet from his lover, her body still hunched over. He didn't feel the thick, searing liquid as it dripped down his face, staining his clothes, matting his hair. It was a struggle to even lift a single foot in the air; harder still to put it back down in the puddle of Katsuki's blood. Kakashi's mismatched eyes couldn't help but stare at the gaping hole in her abdomen, through which he could see the bloodied remains of what had been her hands.

"Sen… sei…" Katsuki's voice was faint as her head lifted slightly, azure eyes unfocused as she tried to take a step forward, only to stagger and collapse. Kakashi, who had broken free from his initial shock, rushed to her side, tears flowing from his eyes in torrents, hands scrabbling in vain to try and heal her. Yet, the painful knowledge was already there in his mind, not quite registering, that she could not be saved.

"Katsuki… Katsuki… Katsu-chan, look at me! Please!" Genma wiped his mouth and hurried to his friend's side, gripping his arms as he rolled the brunette over so she lay face-up. The damage from the bomb was even worse from her front, and Kakashi's body went lax as he stared, unable to tear his eyes away. Genma was able to get him a few feet away, before the Houkou padded over to Katsuki, eyes dangerously narrowed. The brunette's eyes opened, still unfocused, and she choked out a mouthful of blood, the crimson liquid flowing freely over her throat. The remains of her right hand lifted, the bones of some fingers clearly visible, barely held together with bits of sinew, others blown off completely, and all covered in a sticky coat of blood.

"Sensei…" The Riku-Houkou gently placed its snout in her hand, trying not to inhale the harsh metallic stench of the blood. Katsuki glanced to her left, eyes focusing on her sobbing lover and Genma. The clouds over Konoha began to mourn, fat drops of rain falling from the sky to drench the dying woman in its own tears. But she was beyond caring with her life already half-slipped away.

"Kakashi… Genma…" Her other maimed hand, little more than a mangled forearm, reached out toward them. The copy ninja pulled out of his friend's grasp, crawling toward his lover, before gently wrapping his fingers around her bicep, avoiding any injured parts of her body. Katsuki's eyes turned to the sky above her, partly obscured by the damp, matted white fur of the Riku-Houkou's snout. A small smile broke out on her face, and the brunette felt happier than she had ever felt, on the verge of death. Her eyes became glassier as her life slipped away by the millisecond, but her lips formed a sentence which would long outlive anyone, the ones which would defy her death and serve as a reminder to all. And as she took her final breath, Katsuki closed her eyes and spoke in a clear, strong, bold voice.

"No regrets."

* * *

A/N: There you go. This is, officially, the end of the main plot line between AzNcHiBi and I. For three long years I've let this story drag on, procrastinating on it to the extreme, but I am glad it is finally done. However, I have decided to write up an epilogue to it, one which will help the transition between "Ninja Taboo" and "Destiny of the Forsaken" go more smoothly.

Many, many thanks to all my reviewers, who stuck with the story despite its extreme length between updates and overall lack of true Naruto-plotline-focus.

And, of course, the greatest thanks to AzNcHiBi, for without her brilliant advice and help via email, this story would probably not exist.

みんなさん！　ども　ありがとう　ございます！


	16. Beginnings

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, whom I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

* * *

A/N: It's taken me about four years to complete this story, two of which saw this epilogue sitting on my hard drive while AzNcHiBi would nudge me on and off about finishing it. I've got nothing more to say than I'm sorry it's taken this long, but I'm glad she finally made me finish it.

Update from 6/5/11, in which AzNcHiBi and I had a conversation on Facebook: "I'm wooden and I'm on fire. OHMAIGAWD."

* * *

Katsuki's funeral was an affair so grand in scale that it rivaled the Third Hokage's. Despite her lineage and the rumors that circulated round the village about her deceased mother, the entire army of shinobi as well as most of the civilians turned out to witness the event. Kakashi and Genma sat on either side of Riku, protecting her from anyone audacious enough to try and harm her; not everyone had been informed of her decision to become the second jinchuuriki in their midst. Naruto sat on Kakashi's other side, holding Sakura's hand, who wanted to protect _him_ from the sadness; Katsuki was one of the few people in the village who had always been kind to Naruto, often sharing a bowl of ramen with the boy no matter what others in the village would say.

Riku thought the entire ceremony was horribly wrong; the speeches were too blasé, delivered by elder men in Tsunade's lower council who had absolutely no inflection in their parchment-dry voices. They regaled Katsuki's various exploits, the awards and honors she had received, the ultimate heroism and willingness of sacrifice she displayed even after having her memory stolen by the Akatsuki. But they didn't speak of _Katsuki_: the woman and kunoichi who she really had been; the girl Riku had grown up with; laughed and cried with; shared secrets about great loves and broken hearts; of fear and death and hatred. Riku could feel the Houkou rising in protest within her at the very thought of the injustice of it all.

"Riku… it's time," Gemna murmured softly. The kunoichi clenched her fist around a small glittering object in her hand before standing to pay her respects to Katsuki. She didn't want to look at Kakashi, didn't want to see the tears he wasn't trying to hide. They said love could break a man. Now Riku knew it could.

As she stood before the black-framed picture of Katsuki, Riku fingered the trinket in her hand, draping a silver necklace over the edge of the portrait. She smiled faintly upon seeing the crescent moon and star dangling there. She bowed deeply, obsidian tresses falling over her shoulders to hide her streaming eyes.

"No matter where you go, Katsuki, I'll always be there with you," she whispered. As Riku straightened, eyes overflowing with tears, she felt a drop of water hit her nose, and as it began to rain, she thought she could almost hear her best friend's voice.

_I know, sensei. I know…_

-.-.-.-

Genma couldn't remember ever having felt more helpless in his life, not even when he'd narrowly escaped death by setting Sasori on fire, effectively killing him. He watched and as the rain pelted the window, the incessant pattering numbing him. He gazed at the woman sleeping restlessly beside him, twin trails of tears running down her face as she wept in her sleep. The brunette lifted his head to gaze over at the second figure sitting mutely in the chair beside the window, watching the rain, clothes and silver hair in even worse disarray than usual. Genma felt another bout of morose frustration come over him.

"Kakashi…" When the jounin didn't reply, Genma sighed.

"Kakashi. Please," the brunette pleaded. "Tell me how to help you. Help you both." Only silence greeted his words. Genma looked down at Riku, whimpering almost inaudibly as she clutched the blankets.

"Death." The brunette started at the sudden unexpected sound of Kakashi's voice, raspy and coarse from days of disuse.

"What?"

"Death," Kakashi repeated, sounding as though he'd been through hell and back. "It's the risk we all take when we decide to become shinobi," His shoulders began to shake, and his voice seemed choked. "But I wasn't… I couldn't…" The brunette never thought he'd see the son of Konoha's White Fang break, so he looked away, wrapping his arm around Riku tightly.

"Don't blame yourself," Genma said softly. "You did everything you could. You _know _that—"

Suddenly, Riku bolted upright, eyes wide. Genma shot up beside her, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Riku, what's wrong?" The kunoichi's eyes seemed to not see him for a moment, and it was then that Genma realized Kakashi had leapt up from his chair at the same time he felt an acute, piercing presence permeate the air in the room.

"What…"

"So soon already…" Kakashi trailed off, voice dangerously low. Genma felt vibrations issuing from Riku's body, and it was only when she opened her mouth that he realized she was _growling_. She lifted her face to him, eyes glowing, and she snarled.

"It's _them_."

-.-.-.-

Riku didn't know why two Akatsuki were standing in the clearing just outside the gennin training ground borders, ebony cloaks soaked from the rain. Both had conical straw hats on their heads, white streamers weighed down by the water, partially hiding their faces from view. Riku could feel murderous intent emanating from Kakashi, who was standing right behind her, and she herself could feel the Houkou bristling against its bonds. Genma had gone to call for back up, so it was only her and the silver-haired jounin left to face off against the Akatsuki.

"Well, well. This is quite the welcoming, Riku-san," said a deep, velvety-smooth voice. The kunoichi immediately recognized the voice, and her fingers itched to reach for a kunai.

"Uchiha Itachi. What do you two want?" She glanced at the other figure beside him, the tiniest sliver of an orange mask etched with a large swirl visible beneath the edge of the straw hat.

"We've no desire to fight you at this time," said Itachi. "We only came to deliver _this_." The two jounin watched warily as the masked figure stepped forward, withdrawing a bundle of cloth from his cloak and laying it gently down on the wet grass. Kakashi and Riku stepped back into a defensive position when the bundle moved, but the masked figure only shifted a flap of the fabric aside, revealing a pale little face surrounded by light brown curls. Both jounin stared in disbelief as the baby's eyes opened to reveal icy blue eyes. It gurgled in discomfort from the rain and reached up at Riku, revealing two mouths on his palms.

"Of course, you will report that you have seen us," Itachi murmured. "But—"

"We only came to deliver Deidara-sempai's and Katsuki-san's baby," said the masked man. Riku stared at the baby, both wanting to hug it tightly and also wanting to stay away from it. The two Akatsuki turned to leave, but Kakashi was indignant.

"What the _hell_ are you playing at—?"

"If I were you, I would get him someplace warm quickly. He's been out in the rain for a while and might come down with something," said Itachi. A chilling smirk came over his lips. "Who knows… he might even _die_." That was the last straw for Kakashi, who lunged after the two criminals, hell-bent on killing them. It was only when the baby let out a shriek of terror that he stopped and stared at the infant. He watched as Riku hesitantly walked up to the babe, knelt down and scooped him into her arms, cradling him to her chest. It didn't immediately register to him that Genma had finally returned, or that bodies of jounin and ANBU were flying by him at breakneck speed, chasing after the fleeing criminals.

He only had eyes for the child.

The jounin stared down at the tiny squirming bundle in Riku's arms. There was a split second where nobody knew what to say, before the kunoichi spun on her heel, hunching over to shield the bundle from the rain as she retreated into the mist followed closely by Genma and Kakashi.

Once they'd returned to the apartment Genma and Riku shared, the baby was no longer wailing, instead opting to snuggle into Riku's warmth. Genma was hovering incessantly over her, insisting that she and Kakashi dry off before they caught their deaths, but both of them only ignored him, still in shock over the appearance of the baby. The little body wriggled and his mouth opened to let out a soft cooing yawn which broke the spell over the two adults.

"This… is Katsuki's child…" Riku breathed.

"Riku… I'll take the boy. I owe Katsuki this much at least…" Riku and Genma glanced at the silver-haired jounin.

"We have to let Tsunade-sama know…"

"I know," Kakashi said abruptly. "We'll tell her everything. But if you don't want to have him, I'll raise him." Riku gazed down at the infant, seeing so many of Katsuki's features in him despite that he was only a baby. She smiled slightly.

"Well, the decision rests with him," she said, holding the baby up at eye-level with the silver-haired jounin. Kakashi stared at the child with cold, calculating eyes; here was the  
offspring of the one he loved the most and his hated rival. A small pair of blue eyes stared back at him, pure innocence examining the arrival of the silver-haired man. A small smile started at the corner of the baby's mouth as he giggled and reached for Kakashi. The copy-nin's eyes  
softened as he saw the helpless child squirming in Riku's grasp. Kakashi gently reached out to stroke the baby's silky cheek. The infant let out a peal of laughter, smiling broadly as he reached up with one hand, the mouth embedded in that tiny palm engulfing the tip of Kakashi's finger playfully. He felt a smile begin as he took the boy and held him against his chest gently.

"Looks like he likes you, Kakashi," Riku said, arms resting limply in her lap. Genma laid his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"So… what're you going to call him?" asked Genma. Kakashi looked at the baby's hands grabbing at the scroll-pouches of his vest, small tongues poking out from the mouths on his palms. He was obviously happy, but the copy-nin sensed his happiness would soon be interrupted by a bout of crying from hunger.

"Katsuki once told me if she lived long enough to have children, she wanted to name her first-born son Daisuke. So," he gazed down at the baby boy gurgling happily in his arms, "his name will be Daisuke." Riku felt Genma's hand grab her own and she leaned against him, a weary smile on her face. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"Daisuke… I have a feeling he's going to become a lot like Katsuki."


End file.
